yarmulke

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish יאַרמלקע (yarmlke), from Polish jarmułka (“skullcap”), from Turkic; compare Turkish yağmurluk (“rain apparel”).

1. A skullcap worn by religious Jewish males (especially during prayer).

   “And I always feel uncomfortable dur­ing the High Holy Days watching people in yarmulkes rushing through the streets, knowing they’ll be swaying and moaning something ancient and indecipherable, even to me.”

   “But once Dr. Levenson, who works for the Indian Health Service and wears a colorful tapestry yarmulke, has alerted the tiny network, it almost seems as if we have stepped into Yiddishland.”