"... Tallit is a prayer shawl, traditionally made of wool or silk, worn by adults during morning ∗worship, on Tisha B’Av in the afternoon, and on Yom Kippur at all services. Each of the prayer shawl’s four corners has a fringe called tzitzit that is knotted in a particular way. These fringes are based on Numbers 15:38–40 and Deuteronomy 22:12, which ordain the making of twisted cords on the four corners of one’s garment as a constant reminder of divine commandments; Numbers 15:38–40 also specify that the fringes should include a blue thread, although this is no longer considered a requirement for the tzitzit. Until recently, only men wore tallitot; in the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is increasingly common for women to wear tallitot during worship, including in some Orthodox settings. In some traditional communities, men wear a smaller, four-cornered garment called a tallit katan or arba kanfot under their clothing as a reminder throughout the day of the obligation to observe divine commandments ..."

Baskin, Judith Reesa The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture (p. 582) Cambridge University Press, 2011