origin of tern 'afghan' for knitted/crocheted shawl or blanket

bobbieinok

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Sat May-21-05 09:01 PM
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origin of tern 'afghan' for knitted/crocheted shawl or blanket

The knitted or crocheted blanket we call an "afghan" is named for the people of Afghanistan.

The noun "Afghan" first appeared in English in the late 1700s as a name for the Pashtuns of eastern and southern Afghanistan. (The name is not Pashtun in origin, however; "afghan" is the Persian name for these people.)

Afghanistan is known the world over for its textiles - particularly its carpets and karakul wool - so it's no wonder that "afghan" was soon used in English to refer to knitted or crocheted wool shawls or blankets. This use of "afghan" (always lower-case) arose in the early 1800s.

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clydefrand

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Sat May-21-05 09:03 PM
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1. Thanks for the interesting info. Always learn something new on DU!

Edited on Sat May-21-05 09:03 PM by clydefrand

Does the afghan dog originate from that country as well?

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bobbieinok

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Sun May-22-05 12:00 AM
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8. I started wondering where the term came from and looked it up

the internet is great

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NMDemDist2

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Sat May-21-05 09:05 PM
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2. and then there is the noble Afghan hound

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eleny

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Sat May-21-05 09:19 PM
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3. History of Afghan Hound

http://www.afghan-network.net/Afghan-Hound/

"The Afghan Hound was discovered by the Western world in Afghanistan and surrounding regions during the 19th century. The first specimens of the breed were brought to England in the latter part of that century, and the earliest known pictorial representation of an unmistakable, full-coated Afghan Hound is a drawing reproduced in some copies of a volume of letters written in India in 1809 and published in London in 1813."

When I was a little girl, our next door neighbor had an Afghan Hound named Ishok (prounounced Eeshock). Beautiful dog!

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Rowdyboy

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Sat May-21-05 09:28 PM
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4. My partners mom is 86, deaf as a post, and calls them "Africans"

"Son, would you bring me that African to keep me warm?" etc. Michael and I just look at each other and choke! We have a whole list of the phrases she screws up and they're all hilarious but my very favorite is her calling Afghans "Africans"

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DeepModem Mom

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Sat May-21-05 09:29 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Ha, ha -- I just posted the same thing! Interesting that this term...

wasn't limited to my area.

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Rowdyboy

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Sat May-21-05 09:42 PM
Response to Reply #6

7. It really cracks me up! Older southern women tend to be loose and fluid

in their pronunciation/interpretation of words-its just part of their unique (and sadly, vanishing) charm. My current favorite is 85 and a working artist/portraitist next-door neighbor. She had a glass of wine or a couple of beers every day at 5:30pm. has a delightful wit, and is amazingly liberal for a southerner of her age.

If you read the comic strip "Crankshaft" he has dozens of misinterpretations of various sayings that generally leave me choking back laughter.

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DeepModem Mom

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Sat May-21-05 09:28 PM
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5. Some of my Southern relatives used to call these "Africans" --

even some who knitted them! They just hadn't heard quite right.

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