Burkas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A garment that fully encloses the body of a woman, often featuring a mesh screen for visibility that is associated with Islamic traditions and cultural practices
2. An article of clothing that serves to cover the entire figure of a female, typically including a facial veil and symbolizing modesty in Muslim societies
3. A piece of clothing that covers a woman from head to toe, often including a screen to see through, worn as a modesty garment in certain Muslim cultures

Etymology: "Burkas" is the plural of "burka", so the story belongs to the singular. The word travelled a long road before reaching English. It came into Hindustani as "burqā", from Classical Persian "burqa'", which in turn was taken from Arabic "burquʕ", a word for a face veil. The garment and the word moved together through the Persian-speaking and South Asian worlds before English adopted it. A second route also appears in its history. Russian has "burka", a heavy cloak or felt cape, and that form is linked to the Caucasian garment of the same name, which is shown beside a papakhi, the tall fur hat worn in the region. Where the Russian word itself came from is disputed, so the connection to the Arabic-Persian line is not settled.

Synonyms: veil, cloak, abaya, chador, niqab