caftan

[ kaf-tan, kaf-tan ]

/ ˈkæf tæn, kæfˈtæn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caftan ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a long garment having long sleeves and tied at the waist by a girdle, worn under a coat in the Middle East.

a long, full, usually collarless robe with wide sleeves that is worn at home for lounging or entertaining or at the beach as a cover-up.

RELATED WORDS

bathrobe, housecoat, yukata

Nearby words

caffey's disease, caffey's syndrome, caffè latte, caffè macchiato, cafone, caftan, café, café au lait, café au lait spots, café brûlot, café car

Also kaftan.

Origin of caftan

1585–95; < Russian kaftán < Turkish < Persian qaftān

Related formscaf·taned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for caftan

The Sultan had plainly written to him that he was to wear this caftan.
The Slaves of the Padishah|Mr Jkai
A man in a caftan opened the door, and mechanically raised his forefinger to bid her enter without noise.
Ghetto Tragedies|Israel Zangwill
No shirt was to be seen under the caftan, and he had no hat on his head.
Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories, Popular Education, Decembrists, Moral Tales|Leo Tolstoy
The caftan was worn by the upper and middle classes in Russia till the time of Peter the Great, when it was generally discarded.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4|Various

He loves the sun, and the Rebbe hangs his caftan across the window, and the Cheder is darkened, so that it oppresses the soul.
Yiddish Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for caftan

caftan

/ (ˈkæfˌtæn, -ˌtɑːn) /

noun

a variant spelling of kaftan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for caftan

caftan

1590s, "long tunic worn in Turkey, etc.," from Turkish qaftan (also in Arabic), from Persian khaftan. As a similar shirt or dress style in the West, it is attested from c.1955.