shawl

American  

[shawl] / ʃɔl /

noun

1. 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.

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shawl British  

/ ʃɔːl /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• shawlless
  adjective
• shawllike
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

The dining room table, where the sisters wrote, is strewn with manuscripts, quill pens and tea cups; a bonnet and shawl bedeck a chair in the small kitchen.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

The Ava Gardner of 1987, in her knitted shawl and high-bridge spectacles, seems to carry no sense of mystery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Tears streamed from the eyes of Uwde Sliman, a 40-year-old Ethiopian draped in a white shawl, as she came out of the church.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Other pictures show the victim covered in a checked shawl, known locally as a Maasai Shuka.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025

I flung the warm shawl over her, and drew the edges tight round her neck, for I dreaded lest she should get some deadly chill from the night air, unclad as she was.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Related Words

• cloth
• scarf
• stole