'assegai' originates from Portuguese, specifically the word 'azagaia', where it meant 'spear'.

'assegai' changed from the Portuguese word 'azagaia' (also spelled 'azagaya') and entered English via early forms such as 'assagai', eventually becoming the modern English word 'assegai'.

Initially, it meant 'a spear' in Portuguese, and over time it retained the basic sense; in English it refers specifically to the short African spear (often the Zulu type).