The word Dupattā, derived from Middle Indic elements stemming from Sanskrit, is a combination of du- (meaning "two", from Sanskrit dvau, "two") and paṭṭā (meaning "strip of cloth," from paṭṭaḥ).

A stole is narrower than a typical shawl and of simpler construction than a cape- almost always a rectangle piece of clothing that one can wrap around the neck or carry about the shoulders or arms.