Maxi
adjectiveOf a garment, cut extra long, typically reaching the ankle.
How to spell maxi
4 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce maxi
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does maxi mean?
- adjectiveOf a garment, cut extra long, typically reaching the ankle.
- nounAn ankle-length skirt, dress, or coat.
Maxi in a sentence
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adjective
She wore a maxi dress to the summer wedding.
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noun
She swapped her short skirt for a maxi once autumn arrived.
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adjective
The shop displayed several maxi coats for the colder months.
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noun
The boutique sold both a mini and a maxi in the same fabric.
Where does maxi come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word is a twentieth-century clipping of 'maximum', which English took from the Latin maximus, the superlative form meaning 'greatest' or 'largest'. The Latin root sits in a family alongside 'major' and 'magnus' (great), all tied to the idea of size and importance. 'Maxi' itself was coined in the 1960s fashion world to describe garments cut to ankle length, deliberately set against the 'mini' skirt that had just become popular, and the 'midi' length that fell in between. Because it was built as a snappy, informal opposite to 'mini', it has always carried a breezy, marketing-friendly tone. The single 'x' is the spelling trap: writers sometimes want to double it, but the word simply carries the 'max' of 'maximum' plus a final 'i'.
How the word is built
- maxi- (from Latin maximus: greatest, largest) used as a standalone clipping
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