Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A long, loose, hooded garment with full sleeves, worn especially in Muslim countries.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A loose-fitting, ankle-length hooded robe worn by men in North Africa.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Arabic jallāba, variant of Arabic jallābīya (perhaps originally meaning “garment worn by traders”), from jallāb, trader, importer, from jalaba, to attract, bring, fetch, import; see glb in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French djellaba, from Moroccan Arabic جلابة (jellāba), from جالب (jallb, "attractive") (from جلب (jálaba, "to bring, fetch")). Confer glb in Semitic roots.

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Examples

  • I was dressed in a long garment, a little on the tight side, rather like a nightshirt, which they call a djellaba in Egypt.

    The Dreamthief's Daughter Moorcock, Michael, 1939- 2001

  • Most Muslim men wear a long robe called a djellaba, but he had on white pants, a vest and a small white cap.

    canada.com Top Stories 2010

  • Most Muslim men wear a long robe called a djellaba, but he had on white pants, a vest and a small white cap.

    canada.com Top Stories 2010

  • There's something cheering about the fact that Toast have employed a model who not only looks of pensionable age, but also sports the kind of beard and moustache combination last spotted on George V. The attempt to get men to wear the traditional pointy-hooded Moroccan robe known as the djellaba instead of a dressing gown seems a bit hopeful, but for the most part, their clothes strike a really interesting, wearable-by-all-ages balance between classic and inventive.

    Alexis Petridis: A toast to Toast Alexis Petridis 2010

  • A hostess attempts to check the reservation of a man wearing the cap of a Hajji and a full-length djellaba.

    Many Voices Add Up to Memorable 'Decade' Paul Levy 2011

  • I got talking to a snake-charmer wearing a thick woollen djellaba robe.

    Back to the Middle East: the view from Morocco 2011

  • I got talking to a snake-charmer wearing a thick woollen djellaba robe.

    Back to the Middle East: the view from Morocco 2011

  • Getty Images Almonds When we reached the camp, we were greeted by the proprietor, a tall, smiling djellaba-clad fellow who looked a lot like Frank Zappa.

    Top of the World Lamb Tagine David Tanis 2011

  • Just before the opening reception, the photographer (sporting a white djellaba and baseball cap) explained it all: "Michael Jackson was a modern-day martyr."

    Do-It-Yourself Summer Art 2010

  • You even get your own djellaba robe and babouche slippers to take home with you.

    Riad Farnatchi, An Ultra-Romantic Hotel in Morocco 2010

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