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pa·ja·ma

(pə-jämə, -jămə)

n. often pajamas

1. A garment, usually consisting of loose-fitting pants and a shirt or top, worn for sleeping or lounging.

2. A pair of loose-fitting pants worn in South and Southeast Asia by men and women.

[Hindi pāyjāmā, pājāmā and Urdu pāyjāma, pājāma, loose-fitting trousers, from Persian pāyjāma, pājāma : pāy, pā, foot, leg (from Middle Persian pāy, foot; see ped- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + jāma, garment (from Middle Persian ǰāmag; akin to Greek zōma, loincloth, girdle, and Lithuanian juosti, to gird).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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