Etymology and history The pants, or salwar , are known as shalwar in Punjabi : ਸਲਵਾਰ ਕਮੀਜ਼ , salwaar or shalwaar શલવાર કમીઝ in Gujarati , and shalwar in Urdu : شلوار قمیض . The word comes from the Persian : شلوار, meaning pants, ultimately from Arabic سروال, note the