choli

or cho·lee

[ choh-lee ]

noun

1. a short-sleeved blouse or bodice, often one exposing part of the midriff, worn by women in the Indian subcontinent.

choli

/ ˈkəʊlɪ /

noun

1. a short-sleeved bodice, as worn by Indian women

Word History and Origins

Origin of choli¹

First recorded in 1905–10, choli is from the Hindi word colī

Word History and Origins

Origin of choli¹

from Hindi

Example Sentences

Sarah Jessica Parker recently wore an eye-catching Falguni Shane Peacock lehenga and choli on an episode of “And Just Like That,” and the duo were co-hosts of a ritzy Diwali gala last year in the city.

From Seattle Times

“The lehenga set is typically made of three elements — the voluminous floor-length skirt called the lehenga; the blouse or choli, often like a crop top; and a dupatta or stole-like drape,” said Divyak D’Souza, a stylist in Mumbai and the host of the Indian edition of “Say Yes To The Dress,” a reality TV show.

From New York Times

The song was choli ke peeche kya hai, which translates to, what's behind your blouse?

From BBC

To sell out the “Choli” once is no small feat to any Puerto Rican, but to do it four times begged multiple rounds of this chant across the stadium: “¡Yo soy boricua, pa’ qué tu lo sepas!”

From Los Angeles Times

He did so, most famously, in Puerto Rico at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, or “El Choli,” after Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. commonwealth three summers ago.

From Washington Post