Sarape
/səˈrɑː.peɪ/noun
A long, colorful shawl or blanket, especially one worn in Mexico.
Did you know?The English word comes from Mexican Spanish sarape, which likely reflects a borrowing ultimately from Arabic via Spanish textile trade, though the exact deeper path is debated and not occult in origin.
Etymological Timeline
18th–19th Century
Spanish
sarape
“A striped Mexican shawl or blanket worn over the shoulders.”
Modern English
English
sarape
“A Mexican-style woven shawl or blanket.”
Possibly earlier Spanish/Colonial trade
Spanish
zarape
“A regional form referring to the same woven garment.”
Uncertain deeper origin
Unknown
?
“The ultimate source is disputed; proposed explanations include borrowing through colonial contact, but no single secure root is established.”