lungi

or lun·gee, lun·gyi, long·yi

[ loong-gee, loon-jee ]

noun

1. a cloth used as a turban, scarf, sarong, etc., in India, Pakistan, and Myanmar (Burma).
2. a loincloth worn by men in India.

lungi

/ ˈlʊŋɡiː /

noun

1. a long piece of cotton cloth worn as a loincloth, sash, or turban by Indian men or as a skirt

Word History and Origins

Origin of lungi¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Hindi lungī, from Persian

Word History and Origins

Origin of lungi¹

C17: Hindi, from Persian

Example Sentences

He wore a short lungi, a kurta shirt, and a cap.

From Literature

I was also awestruck seeing photos of her family in their saris and lungis, and realizing they look like my family.

From Seattle Times

The modern, above-the-knee, cotton short was birthed by British soldiers in colonial India, inspired by that country’s traditional lungi wraps for men.

From Wall Street Journal

Mohammad Ilyas, 55, fled to Bangladesh with only a shirt and a lungi sarong, along with dozens of others from Rathedaung township.

From Seattle Times

Alright, there's a zip involved, which does elevate it slightly beyond the old school lungi, but there seems universal agreement on Twitter that... it's a lungi.

From BBC

Related Words

• bandana
• hat