guayabera

American  

[gwahy-uh-ber-uh, gwah-yah-be-rah] / ˌgwaɪ əˈbɛr ə, ˌgwɑ yɑˈβɛ rɑ /

noun

guayaberas plural

1. a sport shirt or lightweight jacket, often with several large front pockets, modeled upon a loose, smocklike shirt originally worn by men in Cuba.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• guayaberas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of guayabera

First recorded in 1935–40; from Latin American Spanish, further origin uncertain; perhaps from Spanish guayaba “guava (fruit)” (the shirt pockets being large enough to hold guavas)

Example Sentences

"I done turned Havana to Atlanta, Guayabera shirts and bandanas," Jay-Z says in the opening lines of Open Letter, referencing his recent trip to Cuba with his wife, Beyoncé.

From The Guardian • Apr. 11, 2013

Shoppers are not lacking for other wares, however, from hot-weather Guayabera shirts at the Cuban exhibit to cold-weather Eskimo parkas and beautiful hand-knitted sweaters at the various Canadian exhibits.

From Time Magazine Archive