Definition

Noun: 1. A water pipe for smoking flavored tobacco: A device, often of Middle Eastern origin, used for smoking tobacco. The smoke is drawn through a long, flexible tube and passes through a water-filled base to cool it before inhalation. The tobacco is typically sweetened and flavored (e.g., with molasses and fruit essences).

Usage

• Shisha refers specifically to the apparatus or pipe itself.
• It is also commonly used to refer to the activity of smoking such a pipe.
• The flavored tobacco smoked in a shisha is often called "shisha tobacco" or "mu‘assel."

Examples

• "The café had a relaxed atmosphere with groups of friends sharing a shisha."
• "He ordered mint shisha for the table."
• "Smoking shisha is a popular social activity in many cultures."

Advanced Usage

• Cultural Context: The use of shisha is deeply embedded in the social and cultural traditions of many Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian societies, often associated with hospitality, conversation, and leisure.
• Health Considerations: While sometimes perceived as less harmful, smoking shisha involves inhaling tobacco smoke and carries significant health risks, including exposure to nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide.

Variants and Related Words

• Hookah (n): A common synonym for shisha, used widely in English.
• Nargile (n): A term for a water pipe, used particularly in Turkey and surrounding regions.
• Mu‘assel (n): The moist, flavored tobacco preparation used in a shisha or hookah.
• Hubble-bubble (n): An older, less common English term for a hookah, referring to the bubbling sound of the water.

Synonyms

• Water pipe
• Hookah
• Nargile (or Narghile)

Related Phrases

• Shisha bar (n): An establishment where patrons can smoke shisha, often serving drinks and light meals.
• Shisha lounge (n): Similar to a shisha bar, typically implying a more relaxed, lounge-like setting.

Noun

1. an oriental tobacco pipe with a long flexible tube connected to a container where the smoke is cooled by passing through water
   • a bipolar world with the hookah and Turkish coffee versus hamburgers and Coca Cola