kohl

See also: Kohl

English

WOTD – 30 June 2017

Etymology

A sample of kohl
A food seller from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and his granddaughter with kohl-lined eyes

From Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl, antimony; kohl, stibnite (powdered antimony)). Doublet of alcohol and alcool.

Pronunciation

Noun

kohl (uncountable)

  1. A dark powder, usually powdered stibnite (an antimony ore), used as eye makeup, especially in Eastern countries.
    Hypernyms: eyeliner < makeup, cosmetic

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

kohl (third-person singular simple present kohls, present participle kohling, simple past and past participle kohled)

  1. (transitive) To decorate one's eyes with kohl.

See also

Further reading

Anagrams