abacost

A1B3A1C3O1S1T1
UK/ˈæ.bə.kɒst/US/ˈæ.bə.kɑst/

noun

A short- or long-sleeved button-up jacket, worn without a shirt, that was promoted in Zaire under the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko.

First used First attested in the late 20ᵗʰ centuryScrabble 11

Meanings

nounabacost (plural abacosts)

plural abacosts

  1. historicalA short- or long-sleeved button-up jacket, worn without a shirt, that was promoted in Zaire under the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko.First known use First attested in the late 20ᵗʰ century

    The abacost became Mobutu's personal trademark, […]

    2006, Martin Meredith, Africa: from the hopes of freedom to the heart of despair, PublicAffairs, page 296
    3 more examples

    Wearing a collarless jacket called the abacost that reflected the style of chairman Mao, Mobutu outlawed the traditional suits and business dress of the West.

    2005, Jeanne M. Haskin, The tragic state of the Congo: from decolonization to dictatorship, Algora, page 44

    [T]he new leader [Mobutu Sese Seko] embarked on a campaign of 'Africanisation', with […] suits giving way to the abacost (a Congolese version of the Mao jacket); […]

    2007, Gemma Pitcher et al., Africa, 11th edition, Lonely Planet, page 562

    [A]ll western clothing was banned—to be replaced by one-piece tunic called an abacost.

    2007, Michael Powell, 101 People You Won't Meet in Heaven, Globe Pequot, page 206

Origin

From French. A contraction of à bas le costume (“down with the western suit”)

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

abacost. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abacost

MLA

“abacost.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abacost. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abacost,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abacost.

Source: abacost on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.