kente

[ ken-tey ]

noun

1. a colorful fabric of Ghanaian origin: often worn as a symbol of African American pride:

   Thousands of vivid shirts made a sea of kente along the parade route.

   I hadn't realized there was so much kente cloth in all of Manhattan.

kente

/ ˈkɛntɪ /

noun

1. Also calledkente cloth a brightly coloured handwoven cloth of Ghana, usually with some gold thread
2. the toga made of this cloth

Word History and Origins

Origin of kente¹

First recorded in 1950–55; from Twi

Word History and Origins

Origin of kente¹

from a Ghanaian language, possibly Akan

Example Sentences

As Martin put it on his show: “Oh, now all of a sudden you want to put on a kente coat, now all of a sudden you want to act like you’re championing African Americans.”

From Slate

The ancestral home is very close to Bonwire, the birthplace of the world-famous kente fabric, and the artist grew up wearing the traditional multi-coloured cloth.

From BBC

His paintings are reminiscent of kente cloth, and the process has, he says, been “almost like weaving with paint”.

From BBC

The centerpiece: custom-designed jackets with sleeves made of woven kente fabric.

From Seattle Times

Ghana too has its own long and rich history of textiles - perhaps best known for its bright, patterned kente cloth.

From BBC