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Glite Dictionary
burnous

burnous

9.9
A long hooded wool cloak worn in North Africa
  • noun
  • /ˈbɜrnəs/
  • UK
translation icon : burnús
  • At the festival, she wore a beautiful burnous that kept her warm in the cool evening air.

Examples

  • At home, the knights dressed like the locals, in silk burnous and even turbans.

    Academic text (2011)

  • But I expected to see you wearing a burnous by now.

    Arabesque (1966)

  • "Whatever it was, he had on a long robe, grayish, with a burnous, you know."

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The historical reenactors donned their traditional burnous to accurately portray life in the old city.

  • Visitors admired the intricate designs on the burnous worn by the local craftsman during the market.

Synonyms

burnoose
vsburnous
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A long hooded wool cloak worn in North Africa

is the general form without emphasis on region or single piece construction
burnouse
vsburnous
  • UK
9.9

A long hooded wool cloak that people wear in North Africa and the Middle East

is more general and does not stress how it is made

How Warm

parka
29 1.5
burnous
  • UK
9.9
coat
957 1.0
cloak
61 3.2
wrap
33 2.3
shawl
39 1.0

Surface Forms

burnous singular
burnouses plural

Etymology

Burnous comes from North Africa and the Arabic/Berber word burnus, which means 'hooded cloak'. So a burnous is a long wool cloak with a hood, like a heavy 'hood' or 'cloak' that keeps you warm and protects you from sun or wind.