bindi

British

/ ˈbɪndɪ /

noun

a decorative dot worn in the middle of the forehead, esp by Hindu women

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bindi

Hindi

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.

She says she once confronted a white girl wearing a bindi, who did not know its significance to Hindus as a third eye and thought it was just a "pretty" decoration.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2023

Prior to that, in the 1990s, the ska artist turned pop star often wore a Hindu bindi and styled her hair in South African Bantu knots.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2023

Dressed in a peach-colored silk sari, with a big red bindi on her forehead and a delicate gold chain around her neck, she appeared glowing.

From Slate • Apr. 30, 2021

She ran to the nearby house of a Hindu and put a bindi, a colored dot traditionally worn by Hindus, on her forehead.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2020

She even had little gold earrings dangling from her ears and a green jeweled bindi on her forehead.

From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023