bindi

See also: Bindi

English

Indian man with bindi on forehead

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Hindi बिंदी (bindī)bor.

English bindi

Borrowed from Hindi बिंदी (bindī).

Alternative forms

• bindhi

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /bɪn.di/
• Rhymes: -ɪndi

Noun

bindi (plural bindis)

1. The “holy dot” traditionally worn on the forehead of Hindu women.

   Synonyms: kumkum, pottu, sindoor, tika, tilak, tilakam

   • 2005 November 14, Anita Sethi, “The curse of being labelled the 'new Zadie'”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Actually… a six-figure advance? What the hell, dudes, I'm donning a sari and bindi and penning a novel called, let's see, how about Manchesterstani? My old desi m8s the rude girls of Moss Side have never before been captured in fiction. Int dat da truth, rude girls?

2. Makeup or jewellery worn in imitation of such a dot.

Translations

the "holy dot"

• Burmese: ဗိန္ဒု (my) (bindu.)
• German: Bindi m
• Hindi: बिंदी (hi) f (bindī)
• Japanese: ビンディー (bindī)
• Khmer: ពិន្ទុ (km) (pɨntuʼ)
• Malayalam: പൊട്ട് (ml) (poṭṭŭ)
• Marathi: टिकली f (ṭiklī)
• Odia: ଟିକିଲି (or) (ṭikili)
• Russian: би́нди (ru) f (bíndi)
• Sanskrit: बिन्दु (sa) m (bindu)
• Tamil: பொட்டு (ta) (poṭṭu)
• Thai: พินทุ (th) (pin-tú)

Etymology 2

Clipping of bindi-eye.

Noun

bindi (countable and uncountable, plural bindis)

1. (Australia) The common lawn weed, Soliva sessilis, introduced to Australia from South America.
2. (Australia) A seed of this plant, having small sharp spines which stick painfully into bare feet.
3. (Australia) Any of a number of plants of the genus Calotis which have small burrs with fine barbed awns.
4. (Australia) Any of various plants of the genus Sclerolaena.

Etymology 3

Noun

bindi (countable and uncountable, plural bindis)

1. (India) Alternative form of bhindi (“okra”).

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ-der.

Proto-Germanic *bindaną

Proto-West Germanic *bindan

Old High German bintan

Middle High German binden

German bindenbor.

▲

Proto-West Germanic *bindan

Old Dutch *bindan

Middle Dutch binden

Dutch bindenbor.

▲

Proto-West Germanic *bindan

Old English bindan

Middle English binden

English bindbor.

Esperanto bindi

Borrowed from German binden, Dutch binden, and English bind.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbindi/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -indi
• Syllabification: bin‧di

Verb

bindi (present bindas, past bindis, future bindos, conditional bindus, volitive bindu)

1. (transitive) to bind (books)

Conjugation

Conjugation of bindi

		present		past		future
		singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
tense		bindas		bindis		bindos
active participle		bindanta	bindantaj	bindinta	bindintaj	bindonta	bindontaj
	acc.	bindantan	bindantajn	bindintan	bindintajn	bindontan	bindontajn
passive participle		bindata	bindataj	bindita	binditaj	bindota	bindotaj
	acc.	bindatan	bindatajn	binditan	binditajn	bindotan	bindotajn
nominal active participle		bindanto	bindantoj	bindinto	bindintoj	bindonto	bindontoj
	acc.	bindanton	bindantojn	bindinton	bindintojn	bindonton	bindontojn
nominal passive participle		bindato	bindatoj	bindito	binditoj	bindoto	bindotoj
	acc.	bindaton	bindatojn	binditon	binditojn	bindoton	bindotojn
adverbial active participle		bindante		bindinte		bindonte
adverbial passive participle		bindate		bindite		bindote
		infinitive	bindi	imperative	bindu	conditional	bindus

Related terms

• bindo

Further reading

• “bindi”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “bindi”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bín.dìː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [bɪ́n.dìː]

Noun

bindī̀ m (possessed form bindìn)

1. tail

   Synonym: wutsiya

2. (euphemistic) penis

   Synonyms: azzakari, bura, jela, wutsiya

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪntɪ/
• Rhymes: -ɪntɪ

Noun

bindi n (genitive singular bindis, nominative plural bindi)

1. volume, tome
2. sheaf
3. bandage
4. tie, necktie

Declension

Declension of bindi (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bindi	bindið	bindi	bindin
accusative	bindi	bindið	bindi	bindin
dative	bindi	bindinu	bindum	bindunum
genitive	bindis	bindisins	binda	bindanna

Derived terms

• dömubindi (“sanitary towel”)
• hálsbindi (“necktie”)

Related terms

• binda (“to bind, to tie”)

Old Norse

Verb

bindi

1. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive active of binda