Jarmulka
/jɑːrˈmʊlkə/noun
A Jewish skullcap, also spelled yarmulke or yarmulka.
Did you know?The word’s proposed source is Ottoman Turkish yağmurluk, meaning a rain covering, although scholars treat this connection as uncertain rather than proven.
Etymological Timeline
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish
yağmurluk
“A rain garment or covering; a proposed, but disputed, source of the later word.”
Early Modern Polish
Polish
jarmułka
“A small cap or skullcap, probably transmitted through Jewish and Slavic usage.”
18th–19th Century
Yiddish
יאַרמולקע (yarmulke)
“A Jewish skullcap worn as a head covering.”
19th Century
English
yarmulke
“A skullcap worn by Jewish men, especially during prayer or religious observance.”
Modern English
English
jarmulka
“An established variant spelling of yarmulke, referring to the same Jewish skullcap.”