Sarung
/səˈrʊŋ/noun
A Southeast Asian wraparound garment made from a length of cloth.
Did you know?A sarung is not merely clothing: across Southeast Asia, the same cloth has traditionally served as a blanket, baby carrier, prayer covering, and ceremonial garment.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern period
Austronesian
*sarung
“Reconstructed ancestral form associated with a sheath, covering, or container; the deeper reconstruction is not completely certain.”
Classical Malay
Malay
sarung
“A sheath, scabbard, cover, or tubular covering.”
19th Century
Indonesian/Malay
sarung
“A wrapped cloth garment worn around the lower body.”
19th–20th Century
English
sarung
“A Southeast Asian wraparound garment, borrowed from Malay or Indonesian.”
Modern English
English
sarung
“A variant spelling of sarong, especially in descriptions of Indonesian or Malay clothing.”