pomade

See also: Pomade and pomádé

English

Etymology

From French pommade, from Italian pomata (“ointment, pomade”), from pomo (“apple”) + -ata (“-ade, -ate: forming nouns”), from Latin pomum (“fruit, apple”) and -atum. Doublet of pomatum, pomate, and pomace. Early pomades tended to be various kinds of fat mixed with apples for a more pleasing scent.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pəˈmeɪd/, /poʊˈmeɪd/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pəˈmɑːd/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪd

Noun

pomade (countable and uncountable, plural pomades)

1. A greasy or waxy substance that is used to style hair, making it look slick and shiny.
   • 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter III, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 44:

     So saying, Lady Mandeville turned to the toilette, and mercilessly tied up in her handkerchief the various brushes, combs, oils, pomade, and rouge, with which the table was profusely covered.

   • 2020, Abi Daré, The Girl With The Louding Voice, Sceptre, page 94:

     The rain beat my hair, run down my face and into my mouth so that I can taste the coconut oil pomade from my hair.

2. (obsolete or historical) Synonym of ointment, particularly thick waxy ointments scented with fruit used to beautify the skin or hair.
   • 1680, T. K., The Kitchin-Phyſician; Or, a Guide for Good-Housewives in Maintaining Their Families in Health. […] ‎^[1], Of Medicines and other Remedies which are appropriated to the Skin, Hair, and Teeth, page 9:

     With this excellent Pomade you may Anoint your Face at night, and waſh it off the next day in the morning with Rain-water.

3. (obsolete) Synonym of cider, a soft or hard drink made from apples.

Synonyms

• (all senses): pomatum, pomate

Derived terms

• pomade divine

 

Translations

thick waxy substance used to style hair

• Arabic: مَرْهَم m (marham), بُومَادَة f (būmāda)
• Azerbaijani: məlhəm, pomada
• Bengali: মলম (bn) (molom)
• Bulgarian: брилянтин (bg) m (briljantin)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 髮蠟／发蜡 (zh) (fàlà)

• Czech: pomáda (cs) f
• Dutch: pommade (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: pomado
• Finnish: hiusrasva (fi), pomada (fi)
• French: pommade (fr) f
• German: Pomade (de) f
• Hindi: मरहम (hi) m (marham)
• Hungarian: pomádé (hu)
• Italian: pomata (it) f, brillantina (it) f, gel (it) m
• Japanese: ポマード (pomādo)
• Korean: 포마드 (pomadeu)
• Persian: مرهم (fa) (marham), پماد (fa) (pomâd)
• Polish: pomada (pl) f, brylantyna (pl) f, fiksatuar m
• Portuguese: brilhantina (pt) f
• Romanian: pomadă (ro) f
• Russian: пома́да (ru) f (pomáda)
• Spanish: brillantilla f, pomada de pelo f
• Tagalog: pomada
• Tajik: марҳам (marham)
• Turkish: pomat (tr), merhem (tr)
• Turkmen: melhem
• Urdu: مرہم m (marham)
• Volapük: hereminugvet
• Welsh: pomâd m

Verb

pomade (third-person singular simple present pomades, present participle pomading, simple past and past participle pomaded)

1. (transitive) To apply pomade to style hair.

   He pomaded his hair until it looked like a piece of shiny plastic.

2. (transitive, obsolete or historical) Synonym of anoint, to apply ointment.

Synonyms

• (all senses): pomatum, pomate (obsolete)

References

• “† pomade, n.¹.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2021.
• “pomade, n.².”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2022.
• “pomade, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2022.
• “pomaded, adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2022.

Anagrams

• apedom

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pʊˈmɑːdə]

Noun

pomade

1. pomade