bangle
Americannoun
noun
-
a bracelet, usually without a clasp, often worn high up round the arm or sometimes round the ankle
-
a disc or charm hanging from a bracelet, necklace, etc
Other Word Forms
- bangled adjective
- unbangled adjective
Etymology
Origin of bangle
1780–90; < Hindi banglī, variant of bangrī glass ring, armlet
Explanation
A bangle is an inflexible but loose-fitting bracelet, worn alone or with many other bangles, on your wrist. Bollywood dancers are often outfitted with many gold bangles. A bangle is generally made out of some hard material like gold, silver, wood, plastic, or ivory. In most parts of South Asia, bangles are very commonly worn by women — there are special bangles that a bride, for example, traditionally wears at her wedding. In Hinduism, it's actually considered bad luck for a bride not to wear bangles. The root of bangle is the Hindi word bangri, "colored glass bracelet or anklet."
Vocabulary lists containing bangle
The Skin I'm In
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The Bridge Home
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The Night Diary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At a station in Indian Punjab, a police official recognised Amarnath and gave him a kada - a steel bangle worn by Sikhs and many Hindus as a religious symbol.
From BBC • Nov. 19, 2024
Other gold objects found at the site include beads, bangle bracelets, and animal figurines.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
Çedouze’s signature look: oversized workwear, hoodies, T-shirts and tank tops accentuated with large silver grommets the size of a bangle.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2022
“No Normal” does underscore how Kamala has been changing, though — evolving and growing more and more capable of taking on the increasingly dangerous challenges that come with wearing her family’s bangle.
From The Verge • Jul. 14, 2022
He launched one bangle over your head, and as you slowly raised your hands to try to catch it, he sent the other flying so fast, it struck you before tinkling to the floor.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
