Khimar

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kɪˈmɑː(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A garment designed to cover the shoulders and upper body that is often linked to cultural or religious practices
2. A piece of clothing that drapes over the shoulders and upper torso, commonly associated with modesty and cultural or religious traditions
3. An item of attire specifically made to enclose the upper body and shoulders, frequently connected to cultural or spiritual customs

Etymology: The Arabic "khimār" originally meant a veil or head covering that a woman drew over her head and sometimes her face, and the same root gave Arabic a verb meaning to cover or conceal. English borrowed the word in its Arabic form, so the modern sense of a shawl draped over the shoulders and upper body is a narrowing and reshaping of that older idea of a covering for the head. The word's meaning has shifted with the garments people wear. In Arabic-speaking regions it has long named a specific kind of head-and-shoulder covering, and the English word carries that association with modesty and with religious or cultural practice, rather than any idea of ornament.