Standard Lemma guide

loofah

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈluːfə/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːfə

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of several tropical vines of the genus Luffa, having almost cylindrical fruit with a spongy, fibrous interior; the dishcloth gourd.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The dried fibrous interior of such a plant, used as a sponge for bathing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any bath sponge; a sponge on a handle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To clean or scrub with a loofah.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the loofah climber that has cylindrical fruit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vegetable sponge, Luffa cylindrica

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: luffa, dishcloth gourd, sponge gourd, rag gourd, strainer vine

6

noun

Meaning 6

the dried fibrous part of the fruit of a plant of the genus Luffa; used as a washing sponge or strainer

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: loofa, luffa, loufah sponge

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fiber, fibre

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic لُوفَة (lūfa).

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: لِيف (līf) — tropical vine
  • Arabic: لُوف (lūf) — tropical vine
  • Azerbaijani: luffa — tropical vine
  • Catalan: luffa — tropical vine
  • Chinese Cantonese: 水瓜 (seoi2 gwaa1) — tropical vine
  • Chinese Cantonese: 勝瓜 /胜瓜 — tropical vine
  • Chinese: 竹篙瓜 (tek-ko-koe) — tropical vine
  • Chinese: 米管瓜 (bí-kńg-koe) — tropical vine
  • Chinese: 鼠瓜 (chhí-koe, chhú-koe) — tropical vine
  • Chinese: 水瓜 (chúi-koe) — tropical vine
  • Chinese: 布瓜 (pò͘-koe) — tropical vine
  • Chinese Mandarin: 絲瓜 /丝瓜 (sīguā) — tropical vine
  • Czech: lufa — tropical vine
  • Dutch: luffa — tropical vine
  • Esperanto: lufo — tropical vine
  • Estonian: käsnkõrvits — tropical vine
  • Finnish: pesusienikurkku — tropical vine
  • French: loofa — tropical vine
  • French: luffa — tropical vine
  • Galician: luffa — tropical vine
  • Galician: estropallos — tropical vine
  • German: Luffa — tropical vine
  • Hausa: soso — tropical vine
  • Hindi: तुरई (turaī) — tropical vine
  • Indonesian: luffa — tropical vine
  • Irish: lúfach — tropical vine
  • Italian: luffa — tropical vine
  • Japanese: 糸瓜 (hechima) — tropical vine
  • Japanese: 天糸瓜 (hechima) — tropical vine
  • Kazakh: сәнқабақ (sänqabaq) — tropical vine
  • Khmer: ននោង (nɔɔnɔnoong) — tropical vine
  • Kongo: nsana — tropical vine
  • Korean: 수세미 (susemi) — tropical vine
  • Central Kurdish: لفکە (lifke) — tropical vine
  • Malay: petola — tropical vine
  • Malayalam: പീച്ചിംഗ (pīcciṅga) — tropical vine
  • Persian: پیلگوش (pilguš) — tropical vine
  • Polish: trukwa — tropical vine
  • Punjabi: ਤੋਰੀ (torī) — tropical vine
  • Romanian: lufa — tropical vine
  • Russian: лю́фа́ (ljúfá) — tropical vine
  • Russian: лю́ффа (ljúffa) — tropical vine
  • Russian: лу́ффа (lúffa) — tropical vine
  • Spanish: estropajo — tropical vine
  • Spanish: lufa — tropical vine
  • Swahili: mdodoki — tropical vine
  • Swedish: luffasläktet — tropical vine
  • Thai: บวบ (bùuap) — tropical vine
  • Vietnamese: mướp — tropical vine
  • Arabic: لِيف (līf) — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Arabic: لُوف (lūf) — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Arabic: ليفه (līfa) — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Arabic: ليف (līf) — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Chinese Mandarin: 絲瓜絡 /丝瓜络 (sīguāluò) — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Czech: mycí houba — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Finnish: pesusieni — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • German: Luffaschwamm — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Hungarian: luffaszivacs — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Central Kurdish: لفکە (lifke) — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Polish: gąbka z trukwy — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Russian: моча́лка (močálka) — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Spanish: estropajo — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Spanish: lufa — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Spanish: pashte — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge
  • Turkish: lif — dried fibrous interior used as a sponge