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Today it means

sarong

a garment consisting of a length of fabric wrapped around the waist

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Where does the word "sarong" come from? It comes from Malay sarung, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "sarong" come from? It comes from Malay sarung, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Sarong’s story begins in Malay: sarung meant “a sheath, covering.” Literally "a sheath" or "covering". It reached English by 1800s as sarong. Malay 'sarung', sheath; Dorothy Lamour's 1930s films made it popular in the West. Today, sarong means a garment consisting of a length of fabric wrapped around the waist.

  1. Stage 1 · Malay · medieval sarung "a sheath, covering", literally "a sheath" or "covering".
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s sarong "a wrapped garment worn around the waist", Malay 'sarung', sheath; Dorothy Lamour's 1930s films made it popular in the West.

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