shawl

[ shawl ]

/ ʃɔl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shawl ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a square, triangular, or oblong piece of wool or other material worn, especially by women, about the shoulders, or the head and shoulders, in place of a coat or hat outdoors, and indoors as protection against chill or dampness.

Nearby words

shaw, george bernard, shawabti, shawarma, shawinigan, shawinigan-sud, shawl, shawl collar, shawl tongue, shawlie, shawm, shawn

Origin of shawl

First recorded in 1655–65, shawl is from the Persian word shāl

Related forms

shawl·less, adjectiveshawl·like, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for shawl

The shawl, we learn, weaves its way through Mexican life, from its use as a baby carrier to a shroud used to bury the dead.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo|Liza Foreman|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Among the 50 new works included is a shawl made of used tea bags that resembles a ceremonial cloak.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo|Liza Foreman|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When that isn't possible, Schroeder says, the site styles and photographs the dress with a shawl or jacket.
Fashion of a Certain Age New Website Halsbrook.com Caters to Mature Shoppers|Robin Givhan|November 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He penetrated the Kaabah itself, secretly sketching its interior on his shawl while pretending to pray.
P.J. O’Rourke Picks His Favorite Travel Books|P. J. O’Rourke|November 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST

At the pay booth, Cruz dropped the window and handed ten dollars to a Somali woman in a shawl.
Danger Stalks Lucas Davenport|Daily Beast Promotions|May 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Privately, too, she was glad that the shawl was so scorched that she never was asked to wear it anywhere again.
Holiday Stories for Young People|Various
An old lady, with little gray curls and a Persian shawl, stood near her carriage; she probably had waited for her at the vicarage.
Dame Care|Hermann Sudermann
Mrs. Rossiter, heavily and solemnly, brought her daughter a shawl.
Fortitude|Hugh Walpole
If they wore a head-covering at all, it was a shawl gathered at the throat by the clutch of frost-bitten fingers.
Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp|Annie Roe Carr
Please, ma'am, shall I take away the shawl, and fetch you the one you always wear?'
Clemence|Retta Babcock

British Dictionary definitions for shawl

shawl

/ (ʃɔːl) /

noun

a piece of fabric or knitted or crocheted material worn around the shoulders by women or wrapped around a baby

Word Origin for shawl

C17: from Persian shāl

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