pajamas

noun (used with a plural verb)

1. night clothes consisting of loose-fitting trousers and jacket.
2. loose-fitting trousers, usually of silk or cotton, worn by both sexes in Asia, especially in the East.

pl n

1. the US spelling of pyjamas

n.1800, pai jamahs “loose trousers tied at the waist,” worn by Muslims in India and adopted by Europeans there, especially for nightwear, from Hindi pajama, probably from Persian paejamah, literally “leg clothing,” from pae “leg” (from PIE *ped- “foot,” see foot (n.)) + jamah “clothing.” Modern spelling (U.S.) is from 1845. British spelling tends toward pyjamas.