cosmetic

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κοσμητική (kosmetike) "the art of dress and ornament", from κοσμητής (kosmetes) "orderer, director, decorator", from κοσμέω (kosmeo) "to order, to arrange, to rule, to adorn, to equip, to dress, to embellish".

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (US) IPA: /kɔzˈmɛ.ɾɪk/

Adjective

cosmetic (comparative more cosmetic, superlative most cosmetic)

1. External or superficial; pertaining only to the surface or appearance of something.

   Fortunately, the damage to the house was mostly cosmetic and a bit of paint covered it nicely.

Related terms

• cosmos

Derived terms

• cosmetic surgery

Translations

external or superficial

Bulgarian: козметичен (bg) Czech: kosmetický (cs) Finnish: kosmeettinen (fi)

German: kosmetisch (de) Polish: powierzchowny (pl) m. Russian: косметический (ru) (kosm'etíčeskij)

Noun

cosmetic (plural cosmetics)

1. Any substances applied to enhance the external color or texture of the skin, e.g. lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner; makeup.
2. A feature existing only on the surface.

Hyponyms

• See also Wikisaurus:toiletry

Translations

any substances applied to enhance the external color or texture of the skin

Czech: kosmetika (cs) Finnish: kosmetiikka (fi) French: cosmétique (fr) m., cosmétiques (fr) pl. German: Kosmetikum (de) m., Kosmetik (de) f.

Polish: kosmetyk m. Russian: косметика (ru) (kosm'étika) f. Volapük: (singular) jönamed (vo), (plural) jönameds (vo), (collective) jönamedem (vo)

See also

• makeup

External links

• cosmetic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• cosmetic in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• cosmetic at OneLook Dictionary Search