shawl
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shawl
First recorded in 1655–65, shawl is from the Persian word shāl
Explanation
A shawl is a wide scarf that's worn across the shoulders. If you're attending a fancy party on a cold night, you might wear a soft shawl over your dress. The word shawl comes from Persian, and is most likely rooted in Sanskrit. This garment first appeared in South Asia, and different regions have varied styles of traditional shawls. Any wide, square piece of fabric that you use to keep warm, cover your head, or even wrap a baby in can be called a shawl.
Vocabulary lists containing shawl
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 3
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Just Right Jillian
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Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s a book about paying attention,” Shawl said.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 16, 2024
She has also never hidden her relationships - over the years, she's dated fellow actors and, most recently, model Rohman Shawl with whom she broke up last year.
From BBC • Jul. 18, 2022
Henok Teferra Shawl said in a tweet Orange had "formally submitted interest to participate in the partial privatisation of @ethiotelecom."
From Reuters • Jul. 20, 2021
And for something more recent there’s “Everfair” by Nisi Shawl, in which the people of the Congo acquire steampunk technology early on, therefore averting the colonial horrors of our timeline.
From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2020
Crazy Horse sat with Black Shawl, his wife.
From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
