shawl

[ shawl ]

noun

1. a square, triangular, or oblong piece of wool or other material worn, especially by women, about the shoulders, or the head and shoulders, in place of a coat or hat outdoors, and indoors as protection against chill or dampness.

shawl

/ ʃɔːl /

noun

1. a piece of fabric or knitted or crocheted material worn around the shoulders by women or wrapped around a baby

Other Word Forms

• shawlless adjective
• shawllike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shawl¹

First recorded in 1655–65, shawl is from the Persian word shāl

Word History and Origins

Origin of shawl¹

C17: from Persian shāl

Example Sentences

The Basotho wear them as shawls at special events and give them as gifts.

From BBC

Marwa said she and another friend tried to help the injured person by wrapping a shawl around the man's shoulder "so that he wouldn't bleed so much".

From BBC

The cries of infants tied by shawls to their queueing mothers' backs fill the air.

From BBC

On a chilly December morning, a group of women wrapped in colourful saris, warm shawls and woollen caps huddled outside a three-storey building in a busy neighbourhood in Delhi.

From BBC

His father was a shawl weaver and his mother was a cotton winder.

From BBC

Related Words

• cloth
• scarf
• stole