bikini

The word “bikini” means a minimal two-piece swimsuit that leaves the midriff bare. In plain terms, a two-piece swimsuit, or underwear cut in a similar minimal style.

“Bikini” is pronounced bih-KEE-nee (/bɪˈki.ni/ in IPA).

Here is “bikini” used in a sentence: “She packed three bikinis for the beach trip.”

“Bikini” is a noun.

The word “bikini” dates back to around 1946. Named after Bikini Atoll, where the US tested nuclear weapons in 1946 — the swimsuit's designer reportedly hoped it would cause a similar sensation.

“Bikini” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Bikini” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a minimal two-piece swimsuit that leaves the midriff bare.

A bikini is a specific type of swimsuit made of two separate pieces that leaves the midriff bare, while swimsuit is a general term covering any garment worn for swimming, including one-piece styles. Every bikini is a swimsuit, but not every swimsuit is a bikini.

Bikini can refer to the full two-piece swimsuit, while bikini bottom refers specifically to the lower half, cut low at the hip with high leg openings. The term bikini is also used on its own for brief underwear styled similarly to a swimsuit bottom.

No, bikini also describes a style of underwear that is brief and cut low at the hip with high leg openings, separate from its use as a swimsuit term. Context usually makes clear which meaning is intended.