Jumpers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Items of clothing typically made of knitted fabric that provide warmth
2. Knit garments worn over the upper body for warmth ; beings or creatures that spring into the air using their legs or limbs
3. Warm knitted tops commonly used during cold weather ; individuals or animals lifting themselves off the ground by a sudden thrust

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "jumpers" is that the garment's name may come from an Arabic word for a long robe. The sailors who first used "jump" for a short coat probably borrowed it from Scottish English "jupe," meaning a man's loose jacket or tunic. That word traces back through Middle English and Old French "jupe," which in turn came from Arabic "jubba," a long outer garment. Some scholars also suggest the sailors' word may simply come from the verb "jump," but the Arabic-based origin is the one most often proposed. The plural form "jumpers" is simply the plural of "jumper," which is formed by adding the agent suffix "-er" to "jump." Over time, the sailors' word for a short coat became the common term for a knitted pullover, and in British English it remains the ordinary word for that garment. The sense of a sweater is the one that survives, while the original sailors' sense of a loose jacket has largely faded from everyday use.

Synonyms: sweaters, pullovers