What does dhow mean?
A dhow is a traditional sailing vessel of the Arabian Sea and western Indian Ocean, characterised by one or two masts carrying lateen (triangular) sails. Dhows have been built and sailed for centuries by Arab, Persian, Indian, and East African seafarers, who relied on the seasonal monsoon winds to carry cargoes of dates, spices, ivory, timber, and enslaved people between ports such as Muscat, Zanzibar, Aden, and Mumbai. Though the word entered English only in the early nineteenth century, the vessel itself has a much longer history, and distinctive regional variants — such as the baghlah, boom, and jalboot — evolved over time. Today dhows survive both as working cargo boats and as symbols of maritime heritage, appearing in cultural festivals and competitive dhow races in the Gulf and East Africa. The word carries strong connotations of tradition, craftsmanship, and the romance of pre-industrial ocean trade.
nounA lateen-rigged sailing vessel with one or two masts, traditionally used by Arab and East African traders on the Indian Ocean, especially along the coasts of Arabia, East Africa, and South Asia.
- A lateen-rigged sailing vessel used in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, typically by Arab or Swahili traders.
- By extension, any traditional sailing boat of similar design used in that region.
"The old dhow glided silently across the harbour, its triangular sail catching the evening breeze."
"A fleet of dhows set out from Zanzibar at dawn, riding the northeast monsoon toward Arabia."
"Tourists can still charter a wooden dhow for sunset cruises along the Omani coast."
Standard pluralisation with -s; occasionally found uninflected in older or stylistically archaic texts.
"Dozens of dhows crowded the anchorage off Lamu."
For centuries, dhows harnessed the monsoon winds to stitch together a trading network spanning from East Africa to India — long before European ships dominated those waters.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dhow
The English word "dhow" was borrowed in the early nineteenth century, likely via Hindi and Urdu (दो / ڈو), though its deeper origins are uncertain — possibly ultimately from Swahili or Arabic sources, with scholars disagreeing on the exact path into English. It first appeared in British writing about the Indian Ocean trade, where it served as a general label for the various lateen-sailed vessels of Arab and Swahili seafarers. No widely accepted cognates exist in other European languages as direct borrowings of the same word.
How dhow is actually used
The word is a relatively specialist term, most often encountered in historical, nautical, or travel-writing contexts. The plural is usually simply 'dhows', though 'dhow' is occasionally treated as invariant in older texts.
Easily confused with dhow
A 'dow' is an archaic word for a fee or dowry, whereas a 'dhow' is a type of sailing ship.