kikoi

Where does the word "kikoi" come from? It comes from Swahili kikoi, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Kikoi’s story begins in Swahili: kikoi meant “a woven wraparound cloth.” Of unknown deeper origin, traditionally worn by East African men as a wraparound cloth. It reached English by 1900s as kikoi. A wrap worn by Swahili men along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania. Today, kikoi means a brightly striped cotton cloth worn as a wrap or sarong, originally from East Africa.

1. Stage 1 · Swahili · 1860s kikoi "a woven wraparound cloth", of unknown deeper origin, traditionally worn by East African men as a wraparound cloth.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s kikoi "a striped cotton wrap or sarong", a wrap worn by Swahili men along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania.