Bikini Meaning

/bɪˈkiː.ni/
B1

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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nounA brief two-piece bathing suit worn by women, especially one that exposes the midriff and navel.

nounA brief, often minimalistic two-piece bathing suit worn by women, especially one that exposes the midriff and navel.

The pretty girl in the bikini was an eye-opener on the beach.
Judy decided to wear her new bikini.
The pretty girl in the bikini is Tom's sister.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She wore a two-piece ____ while sunbathing on the beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She wore a colorful ____ to the beach so she could swim in the sea.

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.

"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:
"The café where they were gathered, Bikini Beans, was part of a chain whose baristas wear bikinis." — 2025 November 26, Daniel Kolitz, “The Goon Squad: Loneliness, porn’s next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation”, in Harper's Magazine, →ISSN:
"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:
"[…]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:
"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:

Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words

CEFR Practice Quiz
She wore a two-piece ____ while sunbathing on the beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She wore a colorful ____ to the beach so she could swim in the sea.

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