American Journal Of Philological Sciences
163
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
163-165
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue06-43
Lexical And Semantic Features Of Clothing Names In
Classical Poetry
Tillabayeva Gulruh Sohibbek qizi
Lecturer, Fergana State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
12 April 2025;
Accepted:
08 May 2025;
Published:
18 June 2025
Abstract:
The lexical system, in contrast to the phonetic and grammatical systems, is distinguished by the vast
number of its units. It is impossible to determine the exact number of words in any language, as new words are
constantly being created while others fall out of use. The number of lexical units used by dialect speakers is
especially large.
Keywords:
Clothing, attire, lexicon, semantics, worldview, thinking, consciousness, knowledge, skill, competence.
Introduction:
Nowadays, many ancient terms,
including names of clothing, are quickly disappearing. It
is therefore essential to collect and systematize the
entire vocabulary of clothing, which is an important
step
toward
creating
thematic,
translation,
explanatory, and terminological dictionaries and
reference books. This also contributes to the
development of both historical and modern lexicology
in the Uzbek language, alongside studying other
thematic vocabulary groups.
Unlike grammatical phenomena, studying the lexical
system presents significant challenges. The vocabulary
of any language comprises thousands of words and
stable expressions, each representing a distinct
semantic unit. This makes studying the lexical-thematic
system important not only theoretically but also
practically, especially in organizing terminologies found
in various lexical groups within a language. This
includes words under the concept of “clothing”.
Clothing refers to items that partially cover the human
div and head. It is made from soft, non-abrasive
materials
—
either processed or unprocessed
—
derived
from animal hides or plants. The shape of clothing
corresponds to the human div structure. According to
one interpretation, “Clothing emerged from the human
need to protect their div from the unpleasant effects
of the environment. What fundamentally distinguishes
clothing is not its shape or material but its association
with specific social functions.”
The historical development of the word “clothing”
shows that this term
—
though in different phonetic
forms
—
appeared as early as the Orkhon-Yenisei
inscriptions and continued into the 13th
–
14th
centuries in forms such as kädim, käzim, kädgu, käzgu,
all signifying garments worn over the div. Examples:
• inchin inantim ash tön kädim orün tüşäk at jaŋa kanli
kölü apdini-jangü (refers to food, clothing, shelter, and
domestic animals).
• közgü –
any wearable item (DLT, I, 405)
• ayaq, chanaq kazim tonlarni Shirin terdi (Fazilov, 1,
575)
The “Tafsir” manuscript from the 12th–
13th centuries
also contains verb forms like kär, käzar, and kärmak
derived from the root kär (meaning to wear), indicating
an early evolution of the concept.
In Old Uzbek, the transition from kädim/käzim to
kayim, kiyim was accurately identified by Prof. S. Ye.
Malov. These older forms do not appear in the
language of Alisher Navoi (15th century). Instead, Navoi
used the root kiy, as in kiyguluk and kiymak:
Er kishiga zeb-u ziynat hikmat-u donishdur.
Yaxshi kiymak birla xotunlarga oroyishdur (Navoiy,
MQ).
In the 19th
–
20th centuries, terms like kiyim, kiyim-
kechak, ust-bosh, engil, bosh-oyoq kiyim, joma, and
kisvat became common for referring to clothing.
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
164
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
While kiyim and libos are synonymous, kiyim appears
more standardized and widespread, especially in
everyday and spoken language. Libos, of Arabic origin
(plural: libasot), is characteristic of high literary style. It
is more frequently used in written and poetic language
than in colloquial speech. The word does not appear in
ancient Turkic inscriptions, but can be found in the
12th-
century “Hibat ul
-
haqoyiq”:
Tanabbur libasin keyip az salin (Ahmad Yugnakiy).
In Gulistoni bit turkiy, libos is used to mean outerwear:
Neche kim dalq erur orif libosi, Muborakdur xaloyiqqa
duosi (Sayfi Saroiy).
By the 15th century, libos was widely used stylistically
in literature:
O‘q ignasidan tikay libosin,
Xanjar so‘yidin ezay xinosin (Navoiy).
Turfa oyedur uzoring, ko‘k anga moviy libos,
Anjum oning tanga-tanga bosma qilgon zarhali (Navoiy,
FS)
In Navoi’s works, libos combines with qualifiers to
expand its meaning and adopt metaphorical nuances,
such as zebo libos (beautiful, elegant clothing):
O‘zingni zebo libosi xayolidan qaytar,
Libos zeboligin istasang, bir yalang‘och libosin bitkar
(Navoiy, MQ).
Compared to libos, the word kiyim has a broader
semantic field. In popular perception and linguistic
memory, libos often carries cultural, philosophical, and
religious metaphorical meanings. For example, Husayn
Bayqaro praised Navoi’s literary achievements by
stating:
“He breathed life into the dead div of the Turkic
language with the breath of the Messiah and clothed
this soul with garments of silk woven from the threads
of the Turkic language.”
This poetic metaphor suggests that Navoi revived the
Turkic language and adorned its new meanings with
elegant, silk-like expressions
—
something no one had
done before.
The metaphorical use of libos can also be seen in the
Qur’an, where in Surah Al
-Baqara, spouses are
described as garments for each other (2:187). In Surah
An-
Naba’, libos is used in reference to the night as a
covering and a source of comfort (78:10).
According to Rumi, “Some servants of Allah are dressed
with the garments of wisdom, knowledge, and dignity.
Even if people cannot perceive them, Allah protects
them, and they conceal themselves with these
metaphorical clothes, not for display, but to preserve
their sacredness.”
Similarly, the names of some Quranic surahs, like
Muzzammil (“the one wrapped in garments”) and
Muddathir (“the one cloaked in clothes”), are directly
tied to the concepts of clothing and garments.
The metaphorical use of libos is also found in academic
styles, as in the description:
“Thought cannot be left ‘naked’. It must always be
clothed. That’s why we instinctively turn to language,
its symbolic tools, to conceptualize mental structures.”
Lexical units related to clothing in Navoi’s poetry are
historically significant. Conceptualizing reality as
categories enables description and classification based
on accumulated knowledge. Over a hundred clothing-
related terms are recorded in explanatory dictionaries
of Navoi’s works. It is advisable to classify t
hem into
paradigms based on the part of the div they cover:
1. Headwear
a) Worn on the head: qalpoq, do‘ppi, taqya, kalapo‘sh,
quloqchin, bo‘rk, telpak, shapka, shlyapa
b) Wrapped around the head: ro‘mol, peshonabog‘,
lachak, durra, kosinka, yog‘liq
2. Outerwear
Includes all garments worn over regular clothes,
excluding footwear. Historical terms: kisvat, joma,
libos, hulla, xil’at. Types: abo, qabo, janda, jubba
Modern terms: to‘n, chopon, chakmon, po‘stin,
kamzur, jilet, palto, kostyum, shim, plash
3. Underwear
For women: bluzka, lozim, reytuza, ich ko‘ylak
For men: yaxtak, mayka, kalson, trusik
4. Footwear
etik, mahsi, kavush, kalish, botinka, shippak, tufli
5. Accessories
Items that are not worn directly but accompany
clothing:
• belbog‘, with dial
ectal variants: chorsi, qiyiq, qur,
lungi, po‘ta, qo‘shoq
• Others: qayish, kamar, tasma, salla, chalma, dastor
6. Clothing Parts
Names of sections from which garments are sewn:
bo‘y, yelka, etak, yeng, yoqa, old, orqa, avra, astar,
o‘miz, xishtak, bachki, jiyak, cho‘ntak
REFERENCES
Tillaboyeva, G. S. Q. (2022). “The Concept of Personality
in Alisher Navoi’s Poetry.” Oriental Rena
issance, 2(2),
182-196.
Tillaboyeva, G. & Umarova, N. R. (2021). “Use of
Literary Pseudonyms in Alisher Navoi’s Works.”
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
165
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
Student Bulletin, (13-5), 70-72.
Tillaboyeva, G. S. Q. (2022). “Clothing Terminology in
Linguistics.” Scientific Progress, 3(4), 5
06-514.
Tillaboyeva, G. S. Q. (2023). “Formation Stages of
Ancient Period Dresses.” International Journal of
Advanced Research in Education, Technology and
Management, 2(2).
Tillaboyeva, G. S. Q. Clothing Terminology in Linguistics.
