Dictionary

bikini en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /bɪˈki.ni/ (General-American)
• /bɪˈkiː.ni/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /bɪˈki.ne/ (Scotland)

Etymology

Etymology tree Marshallese pik Marshallese ni Marshallese Pikinnibor. German Bikinibor. English Bikinibor. French Bikini French bikinibor. English bikini 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.

Meanings

1. A brief, often minimalistic two-piece bathing suit worn by women, especially one that exposes the midriff and navel.
   • The café where they were gathered, Bikini Beans, was part of a chain whose baristas wear bikinis. 2025 November 14, Daniel Kolitz, “The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn’s next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation”, in Harper's Magazine, →ISSN:
   • Cole has little but scorn for France's famed Bikini bathing suits. Explains he: " French girls, have short legs. Swimsuits have to be hiked up at the sides to make their legs look longer. " 1950 October 2, “In the Swim”, in Time:
2. A brief bathing suit covering only the pelvis (equivalent to the bottom portion of a two-piece bikini), worn by any gender.
   • […]a group of bikini-clad young men had started a game, and Alex could see why lifeguards referred to men's bikinis as banana hammocks. She made a mental note: No men in bikinis in my picnic issue. She was also, naturally, noticing what the women were wearing. It was, as Mel had said, mostly shorts and cutoffs, halters, cotton[…] 2024 May 14, Stephen Birmingham, The Rothman Scandal, Open Road Media, →ISBN:
   • We high-schoolers didn't understand why death came in the form of a gorgeous young man with muscles in a skimpy bikini. 2004, Cathy Crimmons, How the Homosexuals Saved Civilization, page 202:
3. Brief underpants or trousers that reach to the hips rather than the waist and have high cut leg holes.
   • But it was easy to see that someone had been in. The room was turned upside down!¶Megane stuck her head through the door. Then discovered the state the room was in.¶She ran in. She was nearly in tears when she saw her shorty briefs and bikinis scattered all over the floor. 2020, Agnès Ruiz, Tomorrow, Cappuccinos, Bikinis, #love:
   • Boxer shorts, knitted briefs, and bikinis are the most popular styles in shorts, formerly called “drawers.” 1982, Ruth Tolman, Selling Men’s Fashion, page 124:
   • […] slid his pants off, revealing glimpses of red cotton bikinis covered by the tail of his white oxford. 1986, Craig G. Harris, “Weekend Plans”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 135:

Forms

Coordinates

burqini · minikini · microkini · trikini · monokini

Deriveds

tankini · microbikini · cheekini · bikini top · bikinilike · bikinied · skirtini · sling bikini · pubikini · full bikini wax · bandini · bandkini · bikini beach · bikini panties · bikini bar · burqini · mankini · bikini line · bikini wax · burkini · bandikini · bikiniless · camikini · fatkini · halterkini · facekini · bikini line incision · halterini · bikini jeans · bikini body · bikini briefs · trikini · bikini waxing · bikini contest · bikini babe · monokini · bikini bottom · bikini bridge · slingkini · bikini brief · stringkini · microkini · Beijing bikini · seekini · string bikini

Descendants

bikini

Relateds

swim briefs

Synonyms

two-piece

Translations (69)

vo niblitül (bathing suit) · ja ビキニ (bathing suit) · it bikini (bathing suit) · ca biquini (bathing suit) · hy բիկինի (bathing suit) · ko 비키니 (bathing suit) · mn бикини (bathing suit) · ky бикини (bathing suit) · mk бики́ни (bathing suit) · ar بِيكِينِي (bathing suit) · fa-ira بیکینی (bathing suit) · nl bikini (bathing suit) · ur بِیکِینی (bathing suit) · pl bikini (bathing suit) · vi áo tắm hai mảnh (bathing suit) · th บิกินี (bathing suit) · et bikiinid (bathing suit) · tg бикини (bathing suit) · lt bikinis (bathing suit) · fi bikinit (bathing suit) · be бікі́ні (bathing suit) · el μπικίνι (bathing suit) · de Bikini (bathing suit) · uk бікі́ні (bathing suit) · af bikini (bathing suit) · fr bikini (bathing suit) · nn bikini (bathing suit) · ro bikini (bathing suit) · yi ביקיני (bathing suit) · bn বিকিনি (bathing suit) · sq bikini (bathing suit) · ms bikini (bathing suit) · uz bikini (bathing suit) · te బికినీ (bathing suit) · yue 比堅尼 /比坚尼 (bathing suit) · yue 三點式 /三点式 (bathing suit) · cy bicini (bathing suit) · pt biquíni (bathing suit) · uz бикини (bathing suit) · lv bikini (bathing suit) · sk bikiny (bathing suit) · mr बिकिनी (bathing suit) · hi बिकिनी (bathing suit) · id bikini (bathing suit) · da bikini (bathing suit) · ru бики́ни (bathing suit) · az bikini (bathing suit) · bg бики́ни (bathing suit) · kk бикини (bathing suit) · eu bikini (bathing suit) · nb bikini (bathing suit) · vi bikini (bathing suit) · sh bìkīni (bathing suit) · sv bikini (bathing suit) · cs bikiny (bathing suit) · es biquini (bathing suit) · am ቢኪኒ (bathing suit) · mt bikini (bathing suit) · cy bicinis (bathing suit) · sl bikini (bathing suit) · ka ბიკინი (bathing suit) · ta நீச்சலுடை (bathing suit) · sh бѝкӣни (bathing suit) · he בִּיקִינִי (bathing suit) · eo bikino (bathing suit) · tr bikini (bathing suit) · vo bikinit (bathing suit) · hu bikini (bathing suit) · cmn 比基尼 (bathing suit)

wikipedia: German New Guinea