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Glite Dictionary
bidi

bidi

1 9.4
A thin cigarette rolled by hand and wrapped in a leaf, common in India
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : bidi
  • She offered her friend a bidi while they enjoyed the sunset together.

Examples

  • After a long day, he relaxed on the porch with a bidi in hand.

  • Bidi Karamora.

    The Juror (1996)

  • Now the second girl took a bidi and lit up also, before swinging around to share the bench with her friend.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Almost as strong as the desire to get clean was the craving for a bidi.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Mr. Ghosh lights up a bidi, looks at his brothers, and wrinkles his brows at Hasari.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Many people in rural India prefer smoking a bidi over traditional cigarettes.

Synonyms

cigarette
vsbidi
∞ 1.0

A thin roll of tobacco wrapped in paper that you smoke

is wrapped in a tendu leaf rather than in paper
cig
vsbidi
  • Informal
10 8.2

A short thin tube of tobacco that people smoke

refers to a specific hand rolled tobacco product wrapped in a leaf
sutta
vsbidi
  • Slang
9.9

An informal word for a cigarette used in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand

refers to a specialized hand rolled tobacco wrapped in a tendu leaf

Surface Forms

bidi singular
bidis plural

Etymology

The word bidi comes from the Hindi and Marathi word beedi, which means 'to twist' or 'a small roll'. A bidi is a thin, hand-rolled cigarette wrapped in a leaf, so the name fits the way it is made by twisting and rolling the tobacco.