poncho

[pon-choh]

noun

plural

ponchos 

1. a blanketlike cloak with a hole in the center to admit the head, originating in South America, now often worn as a raincoat.

poncho

/ ˈpɒntʃəʊ /

noun

1. a cloak of a kind originally worn in South America, made of a rectangular or circular piece of cloth, esp wool, with a hole in the middle to put the head through

Other Word Forms

• ponchoed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of poncho¹

First recorded in 1710–20; from Latin American Spanish: further origin uncertain; perhaps from Araucanian pontho “woolen fabric”; perhaps from Old Spanish poncho “a mantle or cloak”; perhaps a back formation from ponchón “lazy, sluggish”; perhaps an alteration of unrecorded pochón, an augmentative of pocho “pale, faded,” and probably akin to pachón “phlegmatic, sluggish”

Word History and Origins

Origin of poncho¹

C18: from American Spanish, from Araucanian pantho woollen material

Example Sentences

No strolling waiters in ponchos placing sombreros on unsuspecting diners, no fake mustaches.

From Los Angeles Times

He wore a white poncho bearing the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.

From Los Angeles Times

Plastic ponchos were the favored attire on the day.

From Los Angeles Times

Kudos to costumer Lien See Leong for outfitting McMahon in a hooded terry cloth poncho that makes him look like Jesus walked across the water to hang ten.

From Los Angeles Times

Wearing a clear poncho, he couldn’t be bubblier as he answers questions and generally holds court.

From Los Angeles Times