Pajamas

My nephew is 2. As such, he is adorable--physically, playfully, and linguistically. Right now his big conversational 'game' happens when I say it's time to get dressed. It goes something like this:

G: "Okay, A, time to get dressed."
A: "Dressed? ...No 'jamas?"
G: (in a 'you're so silly' tone) "No, no pajamas! Pajamas are for night time."
A: "Night time?"
G: "Yeah!"
A: (in the same 'you're so silly' tone) "Oh, yah."

I think my favourite part is how he says 'pajamas'--he just says 'jamas'. It's very cute. But it had me muttering, "jamas... pajamas... PJs... pajamas..." as I drove from my morning Place of Play to my afternoon Place of Play. And then I got to wondering--how did they get to be called pajamas in the first place?

Ah, Wikipedia--how I love thee. A quick search revealed that "The original paijama are loose, lightweight trousers fitted with drawstring waistbands and worn in South and West Asia. ... This word originally derives from the Persian word پايجامه Payjama meaning 'leg garment.'"

Who knew? :)