shalwar kameez

See also: shalwar-kameez

English

Schoolgirls in Pakistan, in shalwars with cuffed hems, and kameez with collars.

Alternative forms

• salwar kamees, salwar kameez, shalwar kamees, shalwar-kameez

Etymology

From Hindustani शलवार क़मीज़ (śalvār qamīz) / شلوار قمیص (śalvār qamīs), from Persian, from Arabic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsʌlvɒː kəˈmiːs/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

shalwar kameez

1. an outfit worn by men and women in South Asian countries comprising loose trousers and a long shirt
   • 2002: Basir tended to wear a beige suede parka over his shalwar kameez. — James Meek, in London Review of Books, 3 January 2002
   • 2004: But the clientele that morning was mainly veiled wives in black burkas and bearded men wearing shalwar kameez — The New Yorker, 13 December 2004, p.52