'bikini' originates from the name of the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where nuclear tests were conducted in the 1940s.

'bikini' was coined in 1946 by French engineer Louis Réard, who named the swimsuit after the Bikini Atoll, suggesting it would create an explosive reaction similar to the atomic bomb tests.

Initially, it referred to a specific style of swimsuit, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.