mehndi

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mehndi

/ˈmɛndi/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Hindustani मेहंदी (mehandī) / مہندی (mihandī), from Sanskrit मेन्धिका (mendhikā). First attested in the 19th century.

noun mehndis · mendi · mendy · mehendi

South Asia, countable A henna plant (Lawsonia inermis).
South Asia, uncountable The preparation of this plant used for dyeing. The first lot to be put up was a tin of sugar biscuits and a jar of ‘mendy’, a pomade of native origin for dyeing the hair black.
South Asia, uncountable A temporary skin decoration made with henna.
Similar: henna tattoo, mehendi
South Asia, uncountable The practice of applying such decoration, typically as part of a bride or groom's preparations for a wedding. Then came the Mehndi ceremony – where henna is painted on the bride's hands and feet, and the bride and groom's family try to outdo each other in singing and dancing.

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MLA

"mehndi." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mehndi. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mehndi. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mehndi

Chicago

"mehndi." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mehndi.

BibTeX

@misc{mehndi_2026,
  title = {mehndi},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mehndi},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}