Pyjamas

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɪˈd͡ʒɑːməz/

Definitions

1. A type of clothing intended for wear during sleep, usually made up of a top and pants that offer comfort and coziness at night
2. An outfit typically used for resting, featuring a loose top paired with matching bottoms designed for relaxation while sleeping
3. A garment worn primarily for bedtime that consists of a top and bottoms, aimed at providing comfort and freedom of movement during sleep

Etymology: Pyjamas were once a garment for the legs alone. The Persian "pāyjāma" combined "pāy," meaning leg or foot, with "jāma," meaning garment, so the word named loose trousers rather than a sleepwear set. It travelled into Hindustani, the lingua franca of northern India, where "pāijāma" described the wide, drawstring trousers worn by men and women across the region. British colonists in India adopted the garment in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the word followed them home. English speakers borrowed it as "pyjamas," a plural that reflects the paired trouser legs. Nightwear was the surprising twist: the loose, comfortable cut suited sleeping, so the word gradually narrowed from daytime trousers to the garments worn in bed.

Synonyms: sleepwear, nightclothes