Pijama
/pɪˈdʒɑː.mə/noun
Loose clothing for sleeping or lounging.
Did you know?English pajamas come through British colonial contact from Hindi/Urdu pāy-jāma, originally referring to loose trousers tied at the waist, and the deeper Persian roots literally mean “leg garment.”
Etymological Timeline
Persian
Persian
pāy-jāma
“Leg garment; trousers or loose lower-body clothing.”
Hindi/Urdu
Indic
pāy-jāma
“Loose trousers tied at the waist, worn in South Asia.”
Early 19th Century
English
pajama
“Loose trousers adopted from South Asian dress, especially in colonial contexts.”
Late 19th Century
English
pajamas
“Two-piece sleeping suit or nightwear.”
Modern English
English
pajamas
“Sleepwear or loungewear, usually a matching top and bottom.”