Yarmulka
/ˌjɑːrməlˈkɑː/noun
A skullcap worn by Jewish men, especially during prayer or religious study.
Did you know?The popular Hebrew explanation yirah malka, “fear of the King,” is generally treated by scholars as a later folk etymology rather than the word’s true origin.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Period
Turkic?
yağmur / yağmurluk
““Rain” / “rain garment”; a proposed but disputed source for the later head-covering term”
16th–17th Century
Polish
jarmułka
“A Jewish skullcap or small religious cap”
Early Modern Period
Ukrainian
ярмулка (yarmulka)
“A skullcap worn by Jewish men”
18th Century
Yiddish
יאַרמלקע (yarmlke)
“A skullcap, especially one worn for religious observance”
19th Century
English
yarmulke
“A Jewish skullcap”
Modern English
English
yarmulka
“A variant spelling of yarmulke”