gaung baung

plural gaung baungs · alternative gaungbaung · alternative gaung-baung

1. A traditional Burmese turban.

   By the far bank a knot of men, one of them wearing a green gaungbaung, were waiting beside a sampan.

   1934, George Orwell, chapter 21, in Burmese Days

   2 more examples

   Maneuvering amid the personalities and protocol of sticky Washington last week was an open-faced, roundly smiling, improbable-looking man in a gaung baung (gauze turbanlike cap with side bow) […]

   1955 January 11, “Neutral but Nice”, in Time

   On formal occasions college students would wear the gaungbaung. "The B.A. beau sauntering down the streets, walking-stick in hand and gaungbaung on his head," was the theme of a popular song in those days.

   1974, Maung Maung, To a Soldier Son, Sarpay Beikman, page 11