pajamas
UK[pəˈdʒɑːməz]US[pəˈdʒæməz]
n
a soft, loose pair of pants and a top worn for sleeping or relaxing at home.
n
a soft, loose pair of pants worn for sleeping or relaxing.
Etymology
the word 'pajamas' entered english in the early 19th century from the hindi/urdu 'pāy-jāma', which itself derived from persian. the persian elements were 'pāy' (leg) and 'jāma' (garment), literally meaning 'leg garment'. originally, it referred to loose trousers tied at the waist, worn in south asia and the middle east. british colonists adopted the garment and the term, which then evolved in english to signify the complete sleeping suit. the modern, abstract meaning of comfortable sleepwear for all genders is a result of this cultural borrowing and semantic shift.
Analysis
this word is a loanword adopted as a single lexical unit from hindi/urdu, via persian. it is not productively formed from separable english morphemes.
Examples
she changed into her cotton pajamas before reading in bed.
the children raced downstairs in their pajamas on christmas morning.
he packed a spare pair of pajamas for his overnight stay at the hospital.