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hijab

[ hi-jahb, -jab ]

/ hɪˈdʒɑb, -ˈdʒæb /

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noun

a traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover the hair and neck and sometimes the face.

the traditional dress code of Muslim women, calling for the covering of the entire body except the face, hands, and feet: to observe the hijab.

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Origin of hijab

First recorded in 1885–90; from Arabic ḥijāb “veil, cover, curtain,” from ḥajaba “to cover”

Words nearby hijab

Higoumenakia sign, H.I.H., hi-hat, HII region, Hiiumaa, hijab, hijack, hijacker, Hijaz, hijiki, hijra

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use hijab in a sentence

My friend at State told me to immediately instruct Salima to change her hijab, and prepare to possibly change locations while we figured out what to do next.
The Untold Story of How Afghanistan's Fighting Female Governor Salima Mazari Escaped the Taliban|Robyn Huang|September 15, 2021|Time
She had negotiated a contract that would see her only work with agencies that let her wear the hijab and work only with female stylists.
Model Revolutionaries Rock Fashion|Sean Culligan|August 5, 2021|Ozy
The 23-year-old Somali American grabbed headlines by becoming the first model to don a hijab and burkini for the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Model Revolutionaries Rock Fashion|Sean Culligan|August 5, 2021|Ozy
This week, local journalists in Firoz Koh, the capital of the central Ghor province, circulated a photograph of a leaflet reading “Dear sisters, observe the hijab and do not walk around the city without a mahram.”
The U.S. Is Leaving Afghanistan, the Taliban Is Growing in Power, and Education for Girls and Women Is Already at Risk|Amie Ferris-Rotman|July 7, 2021|Time

The next year, Halima Badri summoned the hurt she felt when a classmate commenting on her hijab said, “It really brings out your inner terrorist.”
‘I’m Going to Say It From the Heart.’ America’s Reckoning on Race Has Come to High School Speech and Debate|Brian Seto McGrath|December 25, 2020|Time
If they were meaningful, we might have realized it before—surely one of these kids wore a cross, or a yarmulke, or a hijab?
Harry Potter and the Torah of Terror|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Muslim Samantha Elauf was qualified to work at A & F—except that she wore a hijab.
Muslims & Jews Unite vs. Abercrombie & Fitch|Dean Obeidallah|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That same day a 13-year-old girl was arrested with explosives hidden under her hijab after walking into a medical clinic.
The New Face of Boko Haram’s Terror: Teen Girls|Nina Strochlic|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later that same year, she Instagrammed a photo of herself wearing a faux hijab before half-apologizing for it on Twitter.
Will White Feminists Finally Dump Lena Dunham?|Samantha Allen|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He recalled one incident where he was walking down the street in Ohio with his sister, who was wearing a hijab.
Dave Chappelle’s Triumphant Return to New York City|Alex Suskind|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for hijab

hijab

hejab

/ (hɪˈdʒæb, hɛˈdʒɑːb) /

noun

a covering for the head and face, worn by Muslim women

Word Origin for hijab

from Arabic, literally: curtain

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