sjambok

[ sham-bok, -buhk ]

noun

1. (in southern Africa) a heavy whip, usually of rhinoceros hide.

verb (used with object)

1. to whip with or as if with such a whip.

sjambok

/ -bɒk; ˈʃæmbʌk /

noun

1. a heavy whip of rhinoceros or hippopotamus hide
2. a stiff synthetic version of this, used in crowd control

verb

1. tr to strike or beat with such a whip

Word History and Origins

Origin of sjambok¹

1820–30; < Afrikaans s ( j ) ambok < Malay cambuk whip < Hindi cābuk

Word History and Origins

Origin of sjambok¹

C19: from Afrikaans, from Malay samboq, chamboq, from Urdu chābuk

Example Sentences

A truer picture of Zimbabwean politics might be the deep red and black welts and rips in the skin visible across Nhende’s back and lower legs, the result of a lashing with a heavy sjambok whip, his lawyers said.

From Seattle Times

A sjambok is a whip usually made of leather.

From Washington Post

“They beat me and my wife with a sjambok in front of our kids, saying we were part of the riots,” he said.

From Washington Post

He caught the cat and—live on TV—he kicked it and stomped it and beat it to death with a sjambok, a hard leather whip.

From Literature

A second man from another Harare township said he was also beaten by soldiers Thursday night, including with a leather whip locally known as a sjambok.

From Wall Street Journal