Saturday, July 08, 2006

poncho

Quick Definition: 판초; blanketlike cloak
poncho (pŏn'chō) pronunciation
n., pl. -chos.
  1. A blanketlike cloak having a hole in the center for the head.
  2. A similar garment having a hood used as a raincoat.

[American Spanish, from Spanish, cape, perhaps variant of pocho, faded, discolored.]





poncho
from Mapudungun
This word originated in CHILE

In the southern regions of Chile live a people, the Mapuche, who managed to avoid Spanish conquest and have held on to their culture and language under the independent Chilean government as well. The Mapuche learned military tactics from the Spanish so that they could fend them off; the Spanish learned from the Mapuche to fend off the rain with an ingenious garment they called a poncho.

To make a poncho, the Mapuche take a watertight wool blanket and make a slit in it so it can be worn as a cloak. It was discussed in English as early as 1717: The Spaniards have taken up the Use of the Chony, or Poncho ... to ride in, because the Poncho keeps out the Rain. As that remark indicates, it is through Spanish that poncho came to English.

The Mapuche invention is used by soldiers, campers, and other outdoors people the world around. Now sometimes equipped with a hood, it serves not only as a cloak but also as a pillow and blanket. When it isn't needed for protection against the elements, a wool poncho makes a fine wall decoration.

Mapudungun or Araucano is spoken by 400,000 people in Chile today and 40,000 more in Argentina. It is in a language family by itself. The Mapudungun language has also given us the coypu (1793), an otter-like rodent also known as the nutria (a Spanish word). Valued for its fur, the coypu has been imported into North America along with its name, where it has escaped from fur farms and become a pest.






Poncho

A multi-purpose rectangle of rubberized canvas with a hole in the middle so that the head can be inserted. It was used to fend off rain, as a tent or to carry bodies, among many other uses.




poncho pronunciation

A cloak like a blanket with a hole in the middle for the head that is often worn as a raincoat.

pronunciation The naturalist packed galoshes, wool socks, a sweater, and a poncho for the outing.






Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun poncho has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a blanket-like cloak with a hole in the center for the head





poncho
Typical Andes poncho in a flea market in Genoa, Italy
Enlarge
Typical Andes poncho in a flea market in Genoa, Italy
Actor Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name, wearing his famous green poncho (Due to film aging, it appears brown in this photo)
Enlarge
Actor Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name, wearing his famous green poncho (Due to film aging, it appears brown in this photo)

A poncho is a simple garment designed to keep the body warm, or if made from an impermeable material, to keep dry during rain. It is essentially a single large sheet of fabric with an opening for the head and sometimes for the arms. Some ponchos, especially those made to ward off rain, also have hoods attached.

Alternative ponchos are now designed as fashion accessories; they are the same shape but of different material. They are designed to look fashionable and be loose and comfortable, rather than ward off cold and rain. These are often made out of wool or yarn, knitted or crocheted.

While a traditional clothing in the whole world it is nowadays a standard in military field uniforms, and as a raincoat for wandering and biking. Traditional and more local names and variants are:

  • Poncho, most of Latin America, Spain and worldwide
  • Chamanto, central Chile
  • Jorongo, Mexico
  • Kotze or Wetterfleck in Austria, Switzerland and Bavaria; a dark green or brown clothing for hunting
  • Paenula, in ancient Rome; some kind of cape or jacket
  • Kasel or Pluviale, Roman Catholic Church clothing
  • Pelerine, Redingote and Cape; a weatherjacket without arms
  • Gurgel, in the Middle Ages; short, sometimes with hood


Translations for: Poncho

Dansk (Danish)
n. - poncho

Nederlands (Dutch)
poncho, cape, regencape

Franais (French)
n. - poncho

Deutsch (German)
n. - Poncho

ή (Greek)
n. - (.) ό, ί ή ά

Italiano (Italian)
poncho

Portugus (Portuguese)
n. - poncho (m)

Русский (Russian)
пончо

Espaol (Spanish)
n. - poncho

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - poncho, regncape

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
南美人的披风式外套, 雨披

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 南美人的披風式外套, 雨披

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 판초(남아메리카 원주민의 한 장의 천으로 된 외투)

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ポンチョ, ポンチョ風レインコート

العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) البنش : شبه عباءة, ممطر, معطف واق من المطر

עברית (Hebrew)‬
n. - ‮פונצ'ו (גלימה), מעטפת גלימתית להגנה מפני הגשם‬




Back to Top Best of the Web

Some good poncho pages on the web:


American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu


Back to Top Mentioned In
poncho is mentioned in the following topics:
Beaded Poncho (Shopping)Sanuk Poncho (Shopping)
Pink Chiffon Poncho Blouses (Shopping)Baila Baila (2002 Album by Poncho Sanchez)
Junto a Ti (2002 Album by Poncho Cabrera)Poncho Cabrera (2000 Album by Poncho Cabrera)
El Negrito (1994 Album by Poncho Perez His Orchestra)Poncho Sanchez: Poncho At Montreux (Music Film)
Poncho at Montreux [DualDisc] (2004 Album by Poncho Sanchez)The Ultimate Latin Dance Party (2002 Album by Poncho Sanchez)
More




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