loofah

[ loo-fuh ]

noun

1. Also called dish·cloth gourd [dish, -klawth gawrd],
   1. any of several tropical vines of the genus Luffa, of the gourd family, bearing large, elongated fruit.
   2. the fruit of such a vine.
2. Also called veg·e·ta·ble sponge [vej, -t, uh, -b, uh, l spuhnj]. the dried, fibrous interior of this fruit, used as a sponge.

loofah

/ ˈluːfə /

noun

1. the fibrous interior of the fruit of the dishcloth gourd, which is dried, bleached, and used as a bath sponge or for scrubbing
2. another name for dishcloth gourd

Word History and Origins

Origin of loofah¹

First recorded in 1860–65; from New Latin Luffa the genus, from Arabic lūf

Word History and Origins

Origin of loofah¹

C19: from New Latin luffa, from Arabic lūf

Example Sentences

The actual specifics of the alleged harassment didn’t help either—somewhat infamously, O’Reilly imagined rubbing her “with the falafel thing” when he had meant to say “loofah.”

From Slate

They were both salacious and memorable, in a way that lent credibility to Mackris’ claims and gave fodder for comedians and bloggers, like the loofah thing.

From Slate

I love my cat Loofah so much, I even wrote her a poem!!!

From Seattle Times

My hair explodes out in a loofah of wild ringlets.

From Literature

Then I grab Lily’s loofah, pour soap over it until it’s good and foamy, and begin to scrub at my toes.

From Literature