obi
1 Americannoun
-
obis,
plural
-
obi
plural
noun
-
obis
plural
noun
-
a broad sash tied in a large flat bow at the back, worn by Japanese women and children as part of the national costume
-
a narrow sash worn by Japanese men
noun
-
a kind of witchcraft originating in Africa and practised by some West Indians
-
a charm or amulet used in this
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of obi
1875–80; < Japanese: girdle, gird (v.)
Explanation
An obi is a fabric belt that's tied around the waist of a Japanese kimono. The most formal obis are very wide and stiff, and are made from silk brocade. While an obi was originally a useful piece of cord or rope that secured a kimono around the body, modern obi are primarily ornamental. These wide sashes have become too inflexible to actually hold the kimono shut — there are smaller ties underneath that do that. If you participate in Japanese martial arts, you'll also wear an obi as part of your uniform.
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.
See Examples For:
“The present is a gift,” she said, fan tucked in her obi — the wide kimono sash — pink and white parasol in her Hello Kitty shoulder bag.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 23, 2022
They reminded me of Japanese obi sashes, those sometimes ornately knotted strips of brocade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2017
European designers have had a long affair with the kimono, the obi and platform sandal, and the chrysanthemum pinks.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2012
Designer Pilati sent out beautifully tailored blazers in nubby brown and oatmeal fabrics, cinched tight at the waist with patent leather belts or obi belts that looked like misplaced cummerbunds.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 25, 2010
Once she saw my father use the obi, the divining coconut, to answer the questions of a godchild who had come to consult him.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Checked shirts tied at the waist, while the bands of knitwear that encircled the torso flirted with the notion of modern- day obis.
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2010
Arriving in Washington with a gift-load of cloisonne vases, obis and brocades, his comely daughter Hanako at his side, Mamoru Shigemitsu posed for photographers, leaning heavily on his cane.
From Time Magazine Archive
The latter supposedly smuggled Chosen's cash in Japan out of the country, wrapped in obis.
From Time Magazine Archive
But fine kimonos and rich obis are for the wealthy Japanese; the poor cannot afford them, and dress very simply.
From Peeps at Many Lands: Japan by John Finnemore
They were in holiday attire and the bright colors of the kimonos and obis made a bewildering and brilliant picture.
From The Motor Maids in Fair Japan by Katherine Stokes
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.
