Uwagi o jarmułce

Abstract

Notes on Polish jarmułka ‘Jewish skullcap’

Polish jarmułka ‘Jewish skullcap’ is generally considered to be an old Turkish loanword. In Bohdan A. Struminsky’s 1987 article this etymology is contested and replaced with a Latin one. However, Struminsky failed to present convincing arguments against the Turkish origin of the Polish word and his Latin explanation does not seem absolutely perfect either. This article critically examines Struminsky’s study and provides specific arguments against the Turkish trail. The etymology and the evolution of both the guise and the meanings of Polish jarmułka appear to be more complicated than previously thought; thus, the present article should be looked on as picking up an interrupted discussion and, in addition, an invitation to reexamination of the Latin etymology and the semantic aspects of all explanations suggested so far.