Mehndi

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A henna plant (Lawsonia inermis). South-Asia, countable
  2. 2
    The preparation of this plant used for dyeing. South-Asia, uncountable

    "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."

  3. 3
    A temporary skin decoration made with henna. South-Asia, uncountable
  4. 4
    The practice of applying such decoration, typically as part of a bride or groom's preparations for a wedding. South-Asia, uncountable

    "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."

Synonyms

All synonyms
henna tattoomehendi

Example

More examples

"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."

Etymology

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

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.