burkini

noun

bur·​ki·​ni bər-ˈkē-nē 

plural burkinis

: a swimsuit designed for Muslim women and girls that covers the entire body except for the face, feet, and hands

Burkinis may be some of the most conservative bathing suits, but that doesn't mean they can't look trendy.

—Madeleine Buckley

The exhibition … brings together an international interpretation of Muslim culture and fashion from designer garments by international names … to sportswear such as the burkini. …

—Celine Semaan

At issue are the full-body, head-covering garments worn in the water by some Muslim women, which have been nicknamed burkinis, an amalgam of burqa and bikini. The mayor's ban has drawn protests from French Muslims who say it is discriminatory.

—Aurelien Breeden and Lilia Blaiseaug

Examples of burkini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Muslim women were stopped on French beaches for sporting burkinis, or for wearing a hijab on city buses, in public institutions, or while driving. —Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Apr. 2024

The burkini had previously been legalized by the city of Grenoble in May 2021, along with topless swimming, after outcry from residents. —Fox News, 22 June 2022

My burkini, almost all four yards of it, swells up around me and serves as a flotation device. —EW.com, 8 Dec. 2020

In 2019, Muslim model Halima Aden made history as the magazine’s first model to be photographed wearing a hijab and burkini, while Leyna Bloom became the first transgender cover model in its 2021 swimsuit issue. —Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 16 May 2023

The Persian Version opens with a young Iranian American woman played by Layla Mohammadi, wearing a homemade burkini, with a full Islamic face covering and a string bikini on the bottom. —Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2023

But one contestant from the tiny Gulf state of Bahrain avoided that taboo by participating in this year’s Miss Universe in New Orleans in a pink burkini swimsuit that covered her from the neck down, including her arms. —Hadas Gold, CNN, 20 Jan. 2023

Towns began banning the burkini, with police officers fining Muslim women found wearing them who refused to remove some of their clothes or leave the beach. —Fox News, 22 June 2022

Aden was also the first pageant queen to wear a burkini and hijab in a competition. —Allure, 27 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

blend of burka and bikini

First Known Use

2002, in the meaning defined above