Loincloth
A loincloth is a one-piece garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks.
History and types
Loincloths are being and have been worn in societies where no other clothing is needed or wanted, as an undergarment or swimsuit, by wrestlers and by farmers in paddy fields in both Sri Lanka and India, where it is called kaupinam or langot.
The loincloth, or breechcloth, is a basic form of dress, often worn as the only garment. Men have worn a loincloth as a fundamental piece of clothing which covers their genitals, not the buttocks, in most societies which disapproved of genital nakedness throughout human history. The loincloth is in essence a piece of material, bark-bast, leather, or cloth, passed between the legs and covering the genitals. Despite its functional simplicity, the loincloth comes in many different forms.
A breechcloth, or breechclout, consists of a strip of material (bark, cloth, leather) passed between the thighs and secured by a belt. A loincloth is a long piece of cloth, passed between the thighs and wound around the waist.
