pajamas (English)

Where does "pajamas" come from?

The word 'pajamas' descends from the Classical Persian 'pājāma', a compound formed by combining 'pā' meaning 'leg' and 'jāma' meaning 'garment'[1][4]. This term evolved from roots describing a leg covering or trousers, which were eventually adopted into Hindi as 'pājāmā' and Urdu as 'pājāma'[1][2][3]. English speakers later borrowed the term from these South Asian languages to describe the loose fitting trousers worn in that region[1], a meaning that eventually shifted to refer to the sleepwear common in Western households today.

Open questions

• The derivation of the final component 'jāma' through Middle Persian and Proto Iranian forms rests on reconstructed roots related to holding or containing. [5]
• The ancestral form 'pā' for leg is linked to a Proto Indo European word for foot through a series of historical developments in Middle and Old Persian. [6]

Full etymology tree

• pajamas (English), 'Clothes for wearing to bed and sleeping in, usually consisting of a loose-fitting shirt and pants/trousers.'
  • borrowed پاجامہ (pājāma) (Urdu), 'loose cotton trousers; pyjamas, pajamas, pj's'
    • borrowed پاجامه (pājāma) (Persian), 'trousers, drawers'
      • compound پا (pā) (Persian), 'leg'
        • inherited پای (pây) (Persian), 'alternative form of پا (pâ)'
          • inherited pāy (Middle Persian)
            • inherited 𐎱𐎠𐎭 (pād(a)) (Old Persian), 'foot'
              • inherited *pā́dah (Proto-Iranian), 'foot'
                • inherited *pā́ts (Proto-Indo-Iranian), 'foot'
                  • inherited *pṓds (Proto-Indo-European), 'foot'
      • compound جامه (jāma) (Persian), 'a garment, robe, vest, gown, coat'
        • inherited yʾmk' (jāmag) (Middle Persian)
          • inherited *yām- (Proto-Iranian)
            • inherited *yámas (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
              • inherited *yém-o-s (Proto-Indo-European)
                • inherited *yem- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to hold, restrain'
  • borrowed पाजामा (pājāmā) (Hindi), 'loose cotton trousers; pajamas'
    • borrowed پاجامه (pājāma) (Persian), 'trousers, drawers'
      • compound پا (pā) (Persian), 'leg'
        • inherited پای (pây) (Persian), 'alternative form of پا (pâ)'
          • inherited pāy (Middle Persian)
            • inherited 𐎱𐎠𐎭 (pād(a)) (Old Persian), 'foot'
              • inherited *pā́dah (Proto-Iranian), 'foot'
                • inherited *pā́ts (Proto-Indo-Iranian), 'foot'
                  • inherited *pṓds (Proto-Indo-European), 'foot'
      • compound جامه (jāma) (Persian), 'a garment, robe, vest, gown, coat'
        • inherited yʾmk' (jāmag) (Middle Persian)
          • inherited *yām- (Proto-Iranian)
            • inherited *yámas (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
              • inherited *yém-o-s (Proto-Indo-European)
                • inherited *yem- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to hold, restrain'

Ancestors

• پاجامہ (Urdu)
• पाजामा (Hindi)

Descendants and derived words

• dayjamas (English)
• jammies (English)
• jammies (English)
• llama's pajamas (English)
• pajama (English)
• pajamahadeen (English)
• pj's (English)
• the cat's pyjamas (English)
• パジャマ (Japanese)
• 파자마 (Korean)
• piżama (Polish)
• padyama (Tagalog)

Sources

1. pajamas (English) - Wiktionary
2. पाजामा (pājāmā) (Hindi) - Wiktionary
3. پاجامہ (pājāma) (Urdu) - Wiktionary
4. پاجامه (pājāma) (Persian) - Wiktionary
5. جامه (jāma) (Persian) - Wiktionary
6. پا (pā) (Persian) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris