Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A sash of some soft material, figured or embroidered in gay colors, worn by the women of Japan. It is a long strip of cloth about a foot wide, wound round the waist several times, and tied behind in a large bow, which varies in style according to the social condition of the wearer.
  • noun A species of magical art or sorcery practised by the negroes in Africa, and formerly prevalent among those living in the West Indies, where it was introduced by African slaves.
  • noun The fetish or charm upon which the power of the obi is supposed to depend.
  • To bewitch by the practice of obi; charm for the cure of disease, for revenge, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A species of sorcery, probably of African origin, practiced among the negroes of the West Indies.
  • noun West Indies A charm or fetich.
  • noun A sash, esp. the long belt-like broad sash of soft material worn by women aound the waist when wearing a traditional kimono, and usually having a large bow at the back.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A sash worn with a kimono.
  • noun a form of witchcraft originating in Africa

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (West Indies) followers of a religious system involving witchcraft and sorcery
  • noun a religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery; practiced in parts of the West Indies and tropical Americas

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Japanese , おび.

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Examples

  • And an obi is the wide band of material that you wrap around your waist over top of a kimono.

    Obi Hanging in Shop Window 2006

  • •The kimono a long, wide-sleeved robe worn with a wide sash called an obi is a traditional garment.

    ASIAN BUSINESS CUSTOMS & MANNERS MARY MURRAY BOSROCK 2007

  • •The kimono a long, wide-sleeved robe worn with a wide sash called an obi is a traditional garment.

    ASIAN BUSINESS CUSTOMS & MANNERS MARY MURRAY BOSROCK 2007

  • •The kimono a long, wide-sleeved robe worn with a wide sash called an obi is a traditional garment.

    ASIAN BUSINESS CUSTOMS & MANNERS MARY MURRAY BOSROCK 2007

  • (I learned later the obi was a bargain: Such high-quality, hand-embroidered sashes are rare.)

    My Kimono Education 2008

  • My obi was a work of art that had taken three years to create.

    Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002

  • My obi was the dusk red of salt shallows, dyed with a pattern of maple trees.

    Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002

  • My obi was a work of art that had taken three years to create.

    Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002

  • My obi was the dusk red of salt shallows, dyed with a pattern of maple trees.

    Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002

  • It was a robe the color of a mountain potato, covered with soft gray hatchmarks, and her obi was a simple pattern of black diamonds on a background of deep blue.

    Memoirs of a Geisha Golden, Arthur, 1957- 1997

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