Meaning & use
dhoti
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Meanings
nouncountableIndian
A long piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and legs, worn mainly by men in South Asia.
Grammar: Countable: one dhoti, two dhotis. It is usually worn with a shirt or kurta on top.
Patterns
- wear a dhoti
- a white cotton dhoti
The groom wore a white dhoti for the ceremony.
In the hot weather, many men change into a light cotton dhoti at home.
He folded the dhoti carefully before putting it away.
nouncountableIndian
A similar wrapped garment worn on formal or religious occasions in South Asia.
Grammar: Same countable use; the context (wedding, temple, festival) shows it is the formal kind.
Patterns
- a silk dhoti
- wear a dhoti to something
Guests at the temple often wear a silk dhoti.
She bought him a fine dhoti to wear at his sister's wedding.
Word forms
| plural | dhotis |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear a dhoti
- Older men in the village still wear a dhoti every day.
- a white dhoti
- He appeared in a simple white dhoti and a cotton shirt.
- a silk dhoti
- For the wedding he chose a cream silk dhoti.
- tuck in a dhoti
- The dancer learned how to tuck in the dhoti so it would not slip.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lungi
- A similar wrapped cloth, but usually sewn into a tube and worn more casually, often in Bangladesh and southern India.
- sarong
- A wrapped garment worn in Southeast Asia and the Pacific; it is not tied between the legs like a dhoti.
- kilt
- A pleated skirt-like garment worn by men in Scotland; different shape and cultural setting.
Word family
- dhoti-clad adjective
- Wearing a dhoti, used mainly in descriptive writing.
Commonly confused: dhoti or sari? dhoti or doti?
dhoti vs sari
A sari is a long cloth worn mainly by women, draped over one shoulder; a dhoti is wrapped around the lower body and worn mainly by men.
dhoti vs doti
A rare spelling variant you may see in older texts; it means the same garment.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'dhoti' correctly.
Choose one answer.
A dhoti is wrapped around the waist and legs, so the first sentence fits. It is not worn on the head, around the neck, or over the shoulders.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dhoti”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.