lungi

Or lun·gee,

[loong-gee, loon-jee]

noun

1. a cloth used as a turban, scarf, sarong, etc., in India, Pakistan, and Myanmar (Burma).

2. a loincloth worn by men in India.

lungi

/ ˈlʊŋɡiː /

noun

1. a long piece of cotton cloth worn as a loincloth, sash, or turban by Indian men or as a skirt

Word History and Origins

Origin of lungi¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Hindi lungī, from Persian

Word History and Origins

Origin of lungi¹

C17: Hindi, from Persian

Example Sentences

He wore a short lungi, a kurta shirt, and a cap.

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I was also awestruck seeing photos of her family in their saris and lungis, and realizing they look like my family.

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The modern, above-the-knee, cotton short was birthed by British soldiers in colonial India, inspired by that country’s traditional lungi wraps for men.

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Mohammad Ilyas, 55, fled to Bangladesh with only a shirt and a lungi sarong, along with dozens of others from Rathedaung township.

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Alright, there's a zip involved, which does elevate it slightly beyond the old school lungi, but there seems universal agreement on Twitter that... it's a lungi.

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Related Words

• bandana www.thesaurus.com
• hat