Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A very brief, close-fitting two-piece bathing suit worn by women.
- n. A very brief, close-fitting bathing suit worn by men.
- n. Brief underpants that reach to the hips rather than to the waist. Often used in the plural.
Wiktionary
Etymologies
- From French bikini, named after the place name Bikini, from English Bikini, the name of the atoll where the United States tested nuclear weapons in July 1946; it was reckoned that the bathing suit would cause as much excitement as a nuclear bomb. This name was originally from German Bikini, the colonial name of the atoll as part of German New Guinea, and this was derived from Marshallese Pikinni. (Wiktionary)
- French, after Bikini . (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The word bikini is, in the end, a linguistic coproduction, at once Polynesian, French, and American.”
“Any lingering aura of weapons testing seemed to have vanished from the word bikini by the 1960s, when what was left of Bikini Atoll itself was largely forgotten.”
“Sundry creative back-formations, new words built from elements of preexisting ones, have been made from the word bikini.”
“Heidi thinks the bikini is a "throwaway piece" and also isn't sure how she feels about the headpieces -- does she like them or not?”
The Huffington Post: Una LaMarche: Project Runway Finale: Part One Recap
“The word bikini finally entered global nomenclature in the 1960s, when America’s thriving military-industrial pop culture complex would deliver bikini-clad female bombshells to the free world in song lyrics, magazine covers, movies, and Bob Hope’s USO shows.”
“Extremely attractive twenty-something blonde wearing a skimpy golden-roped string bikini is wandering through the woods alone.”
“Are we saying that when a catholic Nun wear a head covering she is forced to wear or lady dress in bikini is force to a bikini?”
Global Voices in English » In France, Sudan, Burqas and Trousers Cause Controversy
“Almost worthless, as far as fitting into your bikini is concerned.”
The Huffington Post: Exercise Has Minor Effect On Weight Loss, According To Growing Body Of Research
“As to Diaz ... pretty enough and decent enough when it comes to comedic chops, but seeing her in a bikini is not enough to draw me to this film.”
“I think that all women should dress in bikini's on casual Fridays just because (do I really need a reason).”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘bikini’.
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Happening soon
carnival, ipanema, home, saudade, bikini, lightening kidnap..., carioca, belindia, bossa nova, iemanja, tarrying, dilly-dallying and 4 more...
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toponymonymonymonymons
bits and pieces
india ink, chypre, cashmere, astrakhan, bikini, boho, damask, dollar, spa, cognac, champagne, yorkies and 2 more...
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window dressing
chemise, gossamer, tweed, pleat, fold, cuff, button, shirttails, ascot, cummerbund, velvet, silk and 104 more...
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Tip-Top Toponymic
Place names that have entered general speech. Toponyms that interest me in other ways are on Place Names Of Distinction
hamburger, wiener, finlandisation, vernissage, hackney, venetians, bohemian, anti-macassar, berliner, cravat, calico, serendipity and 113 more...
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kimo2000's Words
pakalolo, miliated, voodoo, vindaloo, hacienda, acquiesce, addlepated, olio, akimbo, apropos, oogenesis, arugula and 181 more...
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The braggadocio recipe
A selection of English* words ending with a vowel (except "y", "ea", ie", "ee", "oo", "ea", "ou") that is REALLY pronounced.
My favorite English words, by the way.
The good twin of The ...braggadocio, recipe, encyclopedia, solo, gnu, flu, maybe, apocope, mini, arrhythmia, folio, stereo and 197 more...
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Damieng's Words
lupine, sapor, boz imp, imp, ovine, saracen, haberdashery, tiebar, shill, cutler, cutaway, lucite and 218 more...
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Monovocalics
Words that have only one of the vowels. On this list I include only words with at least three vowels. When I first started the list, if a word had several forms, I generally listed only the one wit...
syzygy, mirific, cumulus, homolog, monocot, bedewed, jezebel, referee, bikini, minikin, locomotor, terebenthene and 2359 more...
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junestag's Words
postmodernism, cat, fish, rabbit, dell, coffee, elearning, mazda, php, mysql, flash, blogger and 755 more...
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words I have an irrational and burnin...
celesbian, crouch, perez hilton, slop, lotus boob, anal fissure, eat out, crotch, sewage, backwash, vomit, pus and 100 more...
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words that I like (but not favorites)
nonchalant, verbatim, autonomy, drivel, neologism, cane, sassy, oiseau, pumpernickel, chou-fleur, lolcano, renault and 83 more...
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the dressing room
vest, jacket, insignia, toga, fan, mantle, ermine, robe, snap, waistcoat, anorak, chaps and 71 more...
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Trade Names
rollerblade, zeppelin, kleenex, band-aid, tabasco, jell-o, trojans, rooty-tooty fresh..., xerox, google, velcro, coke and 39 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for bikini.
bilby No, I don't eat pasta. Apr 16, 2011
ruzuzu Were you looking for Bikini? Apr 16, 2011
bilby # A very brief, close-fitting two-piece bathing suit worn by women.
# A very brief, close-fitting bathing suit worn by men. Apr 16, 2011