Thobe
/θoʊb/noun
A long, loose-fitting robe traditionally worn by men in parts of the Middle East and other Muslim-majority regions.
Did you know?In Arabic, ثوب (thawb) originally meant a garment or piece of clothing generally, so its modern association with a specific long robe developed through regional usage rather than from the word’s earliest meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic period
Proto-Semitic
*ṯawb-
“Reconstructed Semitic term associated with a garment or clothing; the exact prehistoric form is reconstructed rather than directly recorded.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ثَوْب (thawb)
“A garment, piece of clothing, or cloth.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
ثَوْب (thawb)
“Clothing or a robe, with the meaning shaped by context and regional dress traditions.”
19th–20th Century
English
thawb / thob
“English transliterations used for the Arabic garment and for related regional robe styles.”
Modern English
English
thobe
“A long, loose-fitting robe, especially one associated with the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding regions.”