djellabah

or djel·la·ba, jel·la·ba

[ juh-lah-buh ]

noun

1. a loose-fitting hooded gown or robe worn by men in North Africa.

Word History and Origins

Origin of djellabah¹

First recorded in 1915–20, djellabah is from the Arabic word jallabah

Example Sentences

He made her sit down amid the wheat stalks, which hid her face, and brutally tore off the harem pants she was wearing under her djellabah.

From The New Yorker

The man seated next to the driver had a long, dark beard, which brushed against his pristine white djellabah at the belly.

From The New Yorker

A slight, bespectacled, balding man with a full dark beard, who usually wears a long djellabah, Belkacem was born in Belgium to Moroccan parents.

From The New Yorker

A Callot gown—recalling a sari, a qipao, or a djellabah—can read like a map of French colonial projects supplemented with an inset of Japan.

From The New Yorker

“I was in Morocco this summer, and the chicest look was the white Birkenstock and the djellabah and Versace glasses. It was amazing. The guys looked great.”

From The New Yorker