cosmetics

English

Assorted cosmetics and tools.

Etymology

From French cosmétique, from Ancient Greek κοσμητική (kosmētikḗ, “the art of dress and ornament”), from κοσμητικός (kosmētikós), an adjective of κοσμέω (kosméō, “to order, to arrange, to rule, to adorn, to equip, to dress, to embellish”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kɒzˈmɛt.ɪks/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /kɑzˈmɛt.ɪks/, [kɑzˈmɛɾ.ɪks]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /kɔzˈmet.ɪks/, [kɔzˈmeɾ.ɪks]

Noun

cosmetics pl (plural only)

1. Preparations applied externally to change or enhance the beauty of skin, hair, nails, lips, and eyes.
2. The way something looks; superficial appearance.
   • 2004, Lewis Sorley, Vietnam Chronicles: The Abrams Tapes, 1968-1972, page 194:

     In the great fishbowl that we're doing everything in it's kind of unfortunate, but the cosmetics of the thing are more important than what's accomplished — in a great many ways.

Noun

cosmetics (uncountable)

1. The study of such products.

Derived terms

• cosmetology
• neurocosmetics
• nutricosmetics

 

Related terms

• cosmetic

Translations

preparations to change or enhance the beauty

• Arabic: مُسْتَحْضَرَات اَلتَّجْمِيل f pl (mustaḥḍarāt at-tajmīl)
• Armenian: կոսմետիկա (hy) (kosmetika)
• Belarusian: касме́тыка f (kasmjétyka), касмэ́тыка f (kasmétyka)
• Bulgarian: козметика (bg) f (kozmetika)
• Catalan: cosmètica (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 化妝品／化妆品 (faa³ zong¹ ban²)

  Mandarin: 化妝品／化妆品 (zh) (huàzhuāngpǐn)

• Czech: kosmetika f, šminky pl
• Finnish: ehostus (fi), kosmetiikka (fi)
• French: cosmétique (fr) m
• Georgian: კოსმეტიკა (ḳosmeṭiḳa)
• German: Kosmetika (de) f pl
• Greek: καλλυντικά (el) n pl (kallyntiká)
• Hungarian: kozmetikum (hu), szépítőszer (hu)
• Japanese: 化粧品 (ja) (けしょうひん, keshōhin)
• Kazakh: опа-далап (opa-dalap), косметика (kosmetika)
• Korean: 화장품(化粧品) (ko) (hwajangpum)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kosmetikk m

  Nynorsk: kosmetikk m

• Polish: kosmetyka (pl) f, kosmetyki f pl
• Portuguese: cosméticos m pl
• Russian: косме́тика (ru) f (kosmétika)
• Spanish: cosmético (es) m, cosméticos (es) m
• Swedish: kosmetika (sv) c
• Turkish: kozmetik (tr)
• Ukrainian: косме́тика f (kosmétyka)
• Vietnamese: mĩ phẩm

study of such products

• Catalan: cosmètica (ca) f
• Finnish: kosmetiikka (fi)
• French: cosmétique (fr) f
• German: Kosmetik (de) f
• Hungarian: kozmetika (hu)
• Polish: kosmetyka (pl) f
• Portuguese: cosmética f
• Russian: косме́тика (ru) f (kosmétika)
• Spanish: cosmética (es) f