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bur·qa or bur·ka

(brkə)

A loose, usually black or light blue outer garment worn by Muslim women that covers the head and face and sometimes the entire body.

[Hindi burqā and Urdu burqa', from Arabic burqa', veil, variant of burqu'; see pqʿ in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

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burqa

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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