Origins of the word Kufiyah...
By Emre1206
@Emre1206 (41)
Turkey
January 3, 2013 2:04pm CST
The Kufiyah of the arabs soon reached Europe and became Cuphia in low Latin, Escofia in Spanish, Cuffia in Italian, Escoffion in French, Curch or Coif in Scottish and it is told that it is also the origin of Kippa.
What is the real origin of Kufiyah?
1 response
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
3 Jan 13
Most dictionaries will tell you that it probably derives from Late Latin cofea meaning a 'coif' (which, of course, also comes from the same word), rather than the other way round. It seems likely that it is also cognate with 'cap' and one of the Latin words for 'head', 'caput'.
All of these, however (including similar words in other languages which may or may not have been borrowed from Latin), may derive from a small tribe from the north of India whose language is apparently the progenitor of most of today's European languages as well as Latin, Greek and Sanscrit.
