yarmulke

• yarmulka, yarmelke, yarmelka, yarmalke, yarmalka, yermulke (rhotic variants)
• yamulke, yamulka, yamelke, yamelka, yamalke, yamalka, yamuka (nonrhotic variants)

Borrowed from Yiddish יאַרמלקע‎ (yarmlke), from Polish jarmułka (“skullcap”) or a Ukrainian cognate of the same. Possibly from the Turkish yağmurluk (“rainwear”), though it could also be from Medieval Latin almutia (“hood, cowl”). The term has been attested since 1903.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑːməlkə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ(ɹ)mə(l)kə/

• Audio (US)

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Yarmulkes

yarmulke (plural yarmulkes)

1. A skullcap worn by religious Jewish males (especially during prayer).
   • 2007, Patricia Cohen, "The Frozen Dozen", New York Times, April 29,

     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.

   Synonyms: kippah, kappel, skullcap

• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 10th Edition (1997)
  
• “yarmulke” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.