bikini English · revision 2135

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /bɪˈkiː.ni/ ''(UK)''; /bɪˈki.ni/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|bikini]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline) named after Bikini, an atoll in the Marshall Islands,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) where the United States tested an atomic bomb in June 1946.^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit (1947 in the OED and Merriam-Webster; 1948 in Barnhart and Etymonline).^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The French name was coined in 1947.^(Etymonline) No explanation of it is certain;^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) the most likely is a comparison between the explosive force of the bomb and the effect of the swimsuit.^(Etymonline) In 1947 English also briefly used ''bikini'' for a large explosion.^(OED 1989) The word was later applied to brief swimming trunks for men,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) and from 1960 to low-cut briefs.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1946 – atomic bomb test at Bikini atoll.^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)

+ * 1947 – a large explosion.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1947 – the two-piece bathing suit.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1960 – scanty briefs.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A woman's very brief two-piece bathing suit.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A very brief, close-fitting swimsuit for men.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # Brief underpants cut to reach the hips rather than the waist.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bikinied]]

+ * [[monokini]]

+ * [[tankini]]

+ * [[string bikini]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}