Etymograph

English

bikini

Bikini comes from Marshallese Pikinni.

  1. MarshallesemodernPikinni
  2. Germanc. 1650–presentBikini
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentbikini
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1950same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. MarshallesemodernPikinni
  2. Germanc. 1650–presentBikini
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentbikini
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1950same form

Earliest quotation: 1950, In the Swim: “Cole has little but scorn for France's famed Bikini…”

A compound of pik + ni

Marshallese pik

Marshallese ni

The story

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.

Every English word from Marshallese Pikinni

Today it means

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

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Marshallese Pikinni / bikini

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