ruana means an outer garment typical of the Andes region of Venezuela and Colombia, and resembling a poncho.
Why “ruana” is a great word
A rectangular or square woolen wrap, open down the front, worn as an outer garment typical of the Andes region of Venezuela and Colombia. From French ruana and its etymon, Spanish ruana ('woolen fabric or garment'), of disputed origin; suggested etymons include Latin rūga ('wrinkle'), Quechua ruana ('textile'), and Chibcha ruana ('land of blankets'). First recorded in English 1810–20. Unlike a poncho, which is a sealed cape with a central slit for the head, or a shawl, which is an unstructured drape, the ruana is a garment of deliberate architecture. It is the heavy, earth-toned wool resisting the mountain wind, the crafted symmetry of its woven patterns, and the practical fold of one panel over the other for warmth—a portable hearth and a mantle of identity woven from disputed tongues.
Etymology
From French ruana and its etymon, Spanish ruana (“woolen fabric or garment”), of disputed origin. Suggestions include Latin rūga (“wrinkle”), Quechua ruana (“textile”), and Chibcha ruana (“land of blankets”); see Wikipedia.
noun
- An outer garment typical of the Andes region of Venezuela and Colombia, and resembling a poncho.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- ruanqin 59% match — Synonym of ruan. vs ruana →
- burnou 57% match — A cape with a hood made of wool, of Algerian origin, used as a baby garment, popular with French mothers from the early 20th century through the 1960s. vs ruana →
- poncho 55% match — A simple garment, made from a rectangle of cloth, with a slit in the middle for the head. vs ruana →
- rugging 54% match — A coarse woollen cloth used for making rugs, blankets etc. vs ruana →
- rebozo 53% match — A woman's garment of Mexico, a rectangular piece of fabric worn as a scarf or shawl and sometimes used to carry children or goods. vs ruana →
- aguayo 52% match — A rectangular piece of patterned cloth, used in traditional South American communities to carry children, goods, etc. vs ruana →
- wayuu 52% match — An Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. vs ruana →
- ruan 52% match — A Chinese long-necked fretted round-bodied plucked lute which has, since the mid-20th century, been produced in a family of five sizes (from low to high). vs ruana →