A thick woolen cloak or hooded robe worn by Arabs and Berbers, typically with wide sleeves and a peaked or pointed hood.
From Arabic burnus, possibly derived from Greek birros (a cloak). The garment traveled into English through Mediterranean trade and colonial contact with North Africa, gaining various spellings (burnous, bornous, burmous).
The bournous is climate-genius clothing—one garment that works as coat, blanket, and tent—which is why it's remained virtually unchanged for 2,000 years across desert cultures.
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