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chador

a large piece of dark cloth wrapped around the body and head, worn by some Muslim women, especially in Iran

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Where does the word "chador" come from? It comes from Persian chadar, and was adopted directly into English (1884).

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Where does the word "chador" come from? It comes from Persian chadar, and was adopted directly into English (1884).

Chador’s story begins in Persian: chadar meant “cloth covering, veil.” Carried a wide range of meanings: tent, mantle, scarf, veil, sheet. It reached English by 1884 as chador. Appeared as early as 1625 in Walter Peyton's account of an East India Company voyage, printed in Purchas's collection of travels. Today, chador means a large piece of dark cloth wrapped around the body and head, worn by some Muslim women, especially in Iran.

  1. Stage 1 · Persian · medieval chadar "cloth covering, veil", carried a wide range of meanings: tent, mantle, scarf, veil, sheet.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1884 chador "large body-and-head covering cloth", appeared as early as 1625 in Walter Peyton's account of an East India Company voyage, printed in Purchas's collection of travels.

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