hijab

n. headscarf worn by Muslim women to cover their hair; custom in Muslim societies of women to dress decently outdoors

Hijab or ħijāb () is the Arabic term for "cover" (noun), based on the root حجب meaning "to veil, to cover (verb), to screen, to shelter"In some Arabic-speaking countries and Western countries, the word hijab primarily refers to women's head and body covering, but in Islamic scholarship, hijab is given the wider meaning of modesty, privacy, and morality. The word used in the Qur'an for a headscarf or veil is khimār (). Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World by Macmillan Reference states about hijab: The term hijab or veil is not used in the Qur'an to refer to an article of clothing for women or men, rather it refers to a spatial curtain that divides or provides privacy. The Qur'an instructs the male believers (Muslims) to talk to wives of Muhammad behind a hijab. This hijab was the responsibility of the men and not the wives of Muhammad. However, in later Muslim societies this instruction specific to the wives of Muhammad was generalized, leading to the segregation of the Muslim men and women. The modesty in Qur'an concerns both men's and women's gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia. The clothing for women involves khumūr over the necklines and jilbab (cloaks) in public so that they may be identified and not harmed. Guidelines for covering of the entire body except for the hands, the feet, and the face, are found in texts of fiqh and hadith that are developed later.
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Noun
1. a headscarf worn by Muslim women; conceals the hair and neck and usually has a face veil that covers the face
(hypernym) headscarf
2. the custom in some Islamic societies of women dressing modestly outside the home; "she observes the hijab and does not wear tight clothing"
(hypernym) custom, usage, usance