kikoi

/ ˈkiːkɔɪ /

noun

1. 1. a piece of cotton cloth with coloured bands, worn wrapped around the body

   2. ( as modifier )

      kikoi material

Word History and Origins

Origin of kikoi¹

C20: from Swahili

Example Sentences

At home in both the bush and the city, Mr. Beard went barefoot in Kenya, wore a saronglike cloth known as a kikoi and once surprised a Vanity Fair reporter when he emerged from his tent accompanied by “four or five” women.

From Washington Post

Delicate and handmade, each piece looks special enough to sit alone on a mantel — even a tea towel, a hand-carved wooden spoon or a piece of Kikoi lava stone on a gray rope, which I learn is actually for scrubbing your feet.

From New York Times

To them, the kikoi was only a brightly colored piece of cloth, good enough to wear to market, but nothing a native would get restless about.

From Time Magazine Archive