Khaftan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A long, loose garment with wide sleeves, traditionally worn in parts of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia
2. A flowing full-length robe with broad sleeves, often made of silk or cotton and worn as everyday or ceremonial dress
3. An ankle-length tunic with wide sleeves and a loose cut, originating in the Ottoman and Persian regions of the East

Etymology: A khaftan is a long, caftan-like outer robe, and its name comes from Persian "xaftān" (also rendered "khaftan"), a garment word that English borrowed through Turkish and Persian travel writing, most often in accounts of the Ottoman and Safavid courts. The Persian term refers to a long coat worn over other clothing, and it entered English in the 17th century as travellers described the robes of Middle Eastern rulers and officials to European readers. Its relative, "caftan," reached English by a different route. It came through Russian and Turkish, and it has been used for a looser, more widely worn garment. The two words share a Persian ancestor, so they are doublets, two English forms of one source that arrived through separate channels.