What does "rangoli" mean?

A geometric or stylized design on the floor (or other flat surface) made using small coloured granules, powder or flowers.

What is a synonym for "rangoli"?

Common synonyms include: kolam.

Pronounced //ɹaŋˈɡəʊli//.

//ɹaŋˈɡəʊli// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A geometric or stylized design on the floor (or other flat surface) made using small coloured granules, powder or flowers. India
"In one corner of the room she had drawn an incredibly elaborate painting with rangoli powder of the Flautist and herself dancing the raas on the banks of the Jamuna."

"An integral attribute of Diwali is rangoli — vivid patterns of colored sand and rice water that confuse evil spirits."

From Hindi रंगोली (raṅgolī), from Sanskrit रङ्ग (raṅga, “colour”).

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