pijama

Forms

pijama f (plural pijamale)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French pyjama, the source named by MDA2, the DEX, the DLR and the MDN.^[2][3][4][5] The DN names English pyjama beside the French word and traces both to a Hindustani word.^[6] Scriban gives the French word and the English plural pyjamas, calling it an Indian word.^[7]

French borrowed the word from English in 1837; the English plural, recorded from 1800, comes from Urdu پایجامه (pāyjāma), literally “leg garment”, made of two Persian words for “foot, leg” and “garment”.^[8] Wiktionary traces it through Hindi पैजामा (paijāmā) to Persian پایجامه (pâyjâma).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Șăineanu's dictionary of 1929 defines pijama as a loose, light house suit gathered at the waist, and says the garment came from Japan.^[9] MDA2 and the DLR open their record with Ion Minulescu: „N-avea nimic pe ea, / Nici măcar o pijama” “she had nothing on, not even pyjamas”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Scriban in 1939 describes the wide, flapping trousers worn in India, and also a jacket or trousers worn only at home among intimates; he also lists a convict's coat.^[7] In French the sense of night or house clothes of trousers and a jacket appeared in the late 19th century.^[8] Romanian dictionaries now define it as clothing of trousers and a top worn mainly at night, and MDA2 records a rare sense, a house coat.^[3][2]

Timeline

• 1837 – French borrows pyjama from English.^[8]
• 1929 – pijama “house suit” in Șăineanu's dictionary.^[9]
• 1939 – Scriban records the Indian trousers and the house clothes.^[7]
• 1955–1957 – the DLRLC defines it as house clothes of trousers and jacket worn mostly at night.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. Pyjamas: clothing of trousers and a top, worn mainly at night.^[3][2]
2. (rare) A house coat.^[2]

Related words

• French pyjama

Usage notes

The plural is pijamale and the articled form pijamaua.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 379
3. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 818
4. ^ a b Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. pijama
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. pijama
6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. pijama
7. ^ a b c Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1, 978
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 1, 481
10. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 419
11. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. pijama