Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A full-length garment with elbow-length or long sleeves, worn chiefly in eastern Mediterranean countries.
- n. A westernized version of this garment consisting of a loose, usually brightly colored waist-length or ankle-length tunic.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A garment worn by men in Turkey, Egypt, and other eastern countries, consisting of a kind of long vest tied about the waist with a girdle, and having sleeves long enough to extend beyond the tips of the fingers. A long cloth coat is worn above it.
Wiktionary
- n. alternative spelling of kaftan.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A garment worn throughout the Levant, consisting of a long gown with sleeves reaching below the hands. It is generally fastened by a belt or sash.
- v. To clothe with a caftan.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a (cotton or silk) cloak with full sleeves and sash reaching down to the ankles; worn by men in the Levant
- n. a woman's dress style that imitates the caftan cloaks worn by men in the Near East
Etymologies
- Russian kaftan, from Ottoman Turkish qaftān.
Examples
“Actually, a caftan was the solution; one could dress it up with jewels better than pajamas.”
The Huffington Post: Vicky Tiel: Elizabeth Taylor Caviar Sandwiches - Perfect for New Year's Eve!
“I understand that the caftan is a traditional Indian garment, or at least I think it is.”
“Actually, I think you can tell a person's age by their term for that dress--being from the generation that wore it in the 70's as a "caftan", that's the term I would use.”
“I'm not sure if she's wearing a caftan which is arab or african, I believe or a shalwar khamise, which is popular in india, afghanistan, etc.”
“The difference between the caftans she made for Liz and an ordinary caftan: "an empire seam under the bust that pushed up the breasts into a décolleté V so no bra was needed.”
“Zuma Press The collection hit many of the themes that have been recurrent through the spring shows — using lace, offering a caftan silhouette, and making unusual color combinations such as a brown s ilk blouse tucked into red shorts.”
The Wall Street Journal: Dell'Acqua Redesigns the Brioni Woman
“The collection hit many of the themes that have been recurrent through the spring shows — using lace, offering a caftan silhouette, and making unusual color combinations such as a brown silk blouse tucked into red shorts.”
“Rachel Zoe is wearing a Missoni caftan and vintage Yves Saint Laurent ring.”
The Huffington Post: Rachel Strugatz: Rachel Zoe's Studio: See What's Inside (PHOTOS)
“Today, she wore a red caftan that smelled like sandalwood.”
“Be sure to check out the rare Paul Poiret dress, the lovely 1940s orchid pin and the embroidered Egyptian caftan.”
The Huffington Post: Mary Kincaid: Weekly Roundup of eBay Vintage Clothing Finds (PHOTOS)
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘caftan’.
-
Words that don't go over well in improv games
It's good to be clever... but not too clever.
brtom "A stooped bearded figure appears garbed in the long caftan of an elder in Zion and a smoking cap with magenta tassels."
Joyce, Ulysses, 15 Jan 28, 2007