English word origin

Etymology of shawl

Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi शाल (śāl) / Urdu شال (śāl)), from Classical Persian شال (šāl). Doublet of sari through Sanskrit.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To wrap in a shawl.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi शाल (śāl) / Urdu شال (śāl)), from Classical Persian شال (šāl). Doublet of sari through Sanskrit.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionशालhi
Borrowed-form mentionشالur
Doublet mentionsarien

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-hnd",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hindustani"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "शाल"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi शाल (śāl)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ur",
        "3": "شال"
      },
      "expansion": "Urdu شال (śāl)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "شال",
        "tr": "šāl"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian شال (šāl)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sari"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of sari"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "शाल",
      "शाल#Hindi"
    ],
    [
      "شال",
      "شال#Urdu"
    ],
    [
      "شال",
      "شال#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "sari",
      "sari#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To wrap in a shawl."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "f29d6a07544d462eccf162a01a9e749ec774817df85603a39b8b55aea187db3b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c7a0e54ee4605ae401285f90003c9e7359fc38f574f63e273315cbef6d6d0588",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 268808
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A square or rectangular piece of cloth worn as a covering for the head, neck, and shoulders, typically by women. · A fold of wrinkled flesh under the lips and neck of a bloodhound, used in scenting.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi शाल (śāl) / Urdu شال (śāl)), from Classical Persian شال (šāl). Doublet of sari through Sanskrit.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionशालhi
Borrowed-form mentionشالur
Doublet mentionsarien

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-hnd",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hindustani"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "शाल"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi शाल (śāl)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ur",
        "3": "شال"
      },
      "expansion": "Urdu شال (śāl)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "شال",
        "tr": "šāl"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian شال (šāl)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sari"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of sari"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "शाल",
      "शाल#Hindi"
    ],
    [
      "شال",
      "شال#Urdu"
    ],
    [
      "شال",
      "شال#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "sari",
      "sari#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Schal",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
      "word": "seál",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A square or rectangular piece of cloth worn as a covering for the head, neck, and shoulders, typically by women.",
        "A fold of wrinkled flesh under the lips and neck of a bloodhound, used in scenting."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f86ff74b26c15dc561d8ac507a1c12121ec835153431e580ac9e179c91ba5adb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f59a02a19687cfd15298d6195c3ebc23b49257f87aaf054197d5acb87c8fa3c0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 268807
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for shawl →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2hhd2w