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hap·pi coat

(hăpē)

A short, lightweight Japanese jacket or robe having wide straight sleeves and an open front, often fastened with ties.

[Japanese happi, alteration of earlier hampi : han, half (from Early Middle Chinese pan^h) + -pi, combining form of hi, arm (from Early Middle Chinese pjiə^h, pji^h), perhaps influenced by Japanese happi, a cloth placed by a monk over a chair while performing a memorial service, from earlier Japanese hafuhi : hafu, dharma (Modern Japanese hō) + hi, a kind of garment.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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