‖ kusti E. Ind.
(kʊˈstiː)
[Pers. kustī, girdle, cincture; Gujarātī kusti, kasti.]
A woollen cord worn round the waist by Parsees, consisting of seventy-two threads to represent the chapters of the Yaśna, a portion of the Zend-Avesta.
| 1860 J. Gardner Faiths World II. 620/1 The kusti is a thin woollen cord. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 325/1 A long coat or gown is worn over the sadara..fastened round the waist with the kustî or sacred cord, which is carried round three times, and fastened in front with a double knot. Ibid., This cincture is a cord woven by women of the priestly class only... The ceremony of the kustî or encircling of the girdle. |