pajamas

pajamas
pajamaed, adj.
/peuh jah"meuhz, -jam"euhz/, n. (used with a plural v.)
1. night clothes consisting of loose-fitting trousers and jacket.
2. loose-fitting trousers, usually of silk or cotton, worn by both sexes in the Orient.
Also, esp. Brit., pyjamas.
[1870-75; pl. of pajama < Hindi, var. of payjama < Pers pay leg + jama garment]

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also spelled  pyjamas  

      loose, lightweight trousers first worn in the East, or a loose two-piece suit consisting of trousers and a shirt, made of silk, cotton, or synthetic material and worn for sleeping or lounging.

      They were introduced in England as lounging attire in the 17th century but soon went out of fashion. About 1870 they reappeared in the Western world as sleeping attire for men, after returning British colonials brought back with them the pajamas worn by Hindus. At the beginning of the 20th century, pajamas were introduced as women's sleepwear and about 1920 as at-home evening wear.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pajamas — Pa*ja mas, n. pl. [Hind. p[=a] j[=a]ma, p[=a]ej[=a]ma, lit., leg closing.] Originally, in India, loose drawers or trousers, such as those worn, tied about the waist, by Mohammedan men and women; by extension, a similar garment adopted among… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pajamas — (n.) 1800, pai jamahs loose trousers tied at the waist, worn by Muslims in India and adopted by Europeans there, especially for nightwear, from Hindi pajama, probably from Pers. paejamah, lit. leg clothing, from pae leg (from PIE *ped foot, see… …   Etymology dictionary

  • pajamas — see pyjamas …   Modern English usage

  • pajamas — [n] sleeping clothes jamas*, jammies*, jams*, loungewear, lounging robe, nightdress, nightie*, nightshirt, nightwear, PJ’s*, sleeper, sleeping suit; concept 451 …   New thesaurus

  • pajamas — (Brit. pyjamas) ► PLURAL NOUN 1) a suit of loose trousers and jacket for sleeping in. 2) loose trousers with a drawstring waist, worn by both sexes in some Asian countries. ORIGIN from the Persian words for leg + clothing …   English terms dictionary

  • pajamas — [pə jä′məz, pəjam′əz] pl.n. [Hindi pājāma < Pers pāi, a leg (< IE * ped ,FOOT) + jāma, garment] 1. a pair of loose silk or cotton trousers worn originally in the Near East 2. a loosely fitting sleeping or lounging suit consisting of top and …   English World dictionary

  • Pajamas — Pyjama redirects here. For other meanings of pyjama or pajama or similar see Pajamas (disambiguation). Pajamas, also spelled pyjamas (see also spelling differences), can refer to several related types of clothing. The original paijama are loose,… …   Wikipedia

  • pajamas — See: CAT S MEOW or CAT S PAJAMAS …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • pajamas — See: CAT S MEOW or CAT S PAJAMAS …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Pajamas — Pyjamas Py*ja mas, or, chiefly U. S., Pajamas Pa*ja mas, n. pl. A garment, similar to the Oriental {pyjama} (which see), adopted among Europeans, Americans, and other Occidentals, for wear in the dressing room and during sleep; also, a suit of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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