/ˈbɜː.kə/, /ˈbɝ.kə/
OriginFrom Hindustani بُرْقَع (burqa') / बुरक़ा (burqā), from Classical Persian بُرْقَع (burqa'), from Arabic بُرْقُع (burquʕ).
- An enveloping Central Asian garment which covers the whole body, incorporating a netted screen to cover the eyes, chiefly worn by women in fundamentalist denominations of Islam to observe sartorial hijab (the practice of wearing concealing clothing in front of adult men after the age of puberty).
“He fished a sky blue burqa from the bag. The yards of pleated cloth spilled over his knees when he lifted it.”
- broadlyA garment incorporating a niqab (veil for the face).
- broadly, proscribed, sometimesA hijab (traditional headscarf covering the hair and neck), such as a khimar or shayla .
Formsburqas(plural) · burka(alternative) · burkha(alternative) · burqua(alternative) · boorka(alternative, obsolete) · bourkha(alternative, obsolete) · bourqa(alternative, rare)