Etymology

bikini

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Today it means: A brief, often minimalistic two-piece bathing suit worn by women, especially one that exposes the midriff and navel. Full definition →

French bikini ← English Bikini ← German Bikini
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bikini · noun1

  1. Marshallesepik
  2. Marshalleseni
  3. MarshallesePikinni
  4. GermanBikini
  5. EnglishBikini
  6. FrenchBikini
  7. Frenchbikini
  8. English todaybikini

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.

Bikini · proper noun2

  1. Marshallese · derived fromPikinni
  2. German · derived fromBikini
  3. English todayBikini

From German Bikini, the colonial name of the atoll as part of German New Guinea, and this was derived from Marshallese Pikinni.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.