Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several tropical cucurbit vines of the genus Luffa native to Asia, having cylindrical fruit with a fibrous, spongelike interior.
  • noun The dried, fibrous part of the loofah fruit, used as a washing sponge or as a filter.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A tropical vine, of the genus Luffa, having almost cylindrical fruit with a spongy, fibrous interior; the dishcloth gourd
  • noun The dried fibrous interior used as a sponge for bathing

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the dried fibrous part of the fruit of a plant of the genus Luffa; used as a washing sponge or strainer
  • noun the loofah climber that has cylindrical fruit

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Arabic lūfa, singulative of lūf.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Arabic لوفة (lūfa).

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Examples

  • At the final bar, The Horse and Carriage—a total dive, a place where 90 percent of the patrons have never even heard the word loofah, let alone ever used it, but apparently cool to the hipsters in Hollywood—our bar stools faced each other and he suddenly grabbed for my three-day stubbly calves.

    You’ll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again Heather McDonald 2010

  • Kelly, one of our own at Bramble Berry, made the fabulous orange glycerin loofah soap.

    Fun stuff from customers Anne-Marie 2007

  • Kelly, one of our own at Bramble Berry, made the fabulous orange glycerin loofah soap.

    Archive 2007-03-01 Anne-Marie 2007

  • The common name loofah and the scientific name Luffa are derived from the Arabic common name for this plant, lûfa.

    Find Me A Cure 2009

  • I love that O'Reilly calls a loofah a 'falafel' in that transcript.

    Re-Entry with Links 2004

  • And loves nothing better than to be admired in her bath, waiting for you to hand her your "loofah".

    And then there's the way Sarah Palin keeps saying "also," also. Ann Althouse 2008

  • And it's meaning is 'loofah', not too far off in ridiculousness.

    maboopya 2005

  • And it's meaning is 'loofah', not too far off in ridiculousness.

    Archive 2005-11-01 2005

  • This soothing mixture is applied to the body using the therapists hands and a loofah which is naturally grown in Jamaica.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • This soothing mixture is applied to the body using the therapists hands and a loofah which is naturally grown in Jamaica.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

Comments

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  • He waited by the counter, inhaling the keen reek of drugs, the dusty dry smell of sponges and loofahs.

    Joyce, Ulysses, 5

    December 31, 2006