cosmetic

Pronunciation: /kɒzˈmɛtɪk/

The English word “cosmetic” has 5 meanings listed here.

adjective

Imparting or improving beauty, particularly the beauty of the complexion.
External or superficial; pertaining only to the surface or appearance of something.

noun

Any substances applied to enhance the external color or texture of the skin, e.g. lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner.
A feature existing only on the surface.
An intangible influence that improves the overall perception of some thing or situation.

Etymology

From French cosmétique, from Ancient Greek κοσμητική (kosmētikḗ, “the art of dress and ornament”), κοσμητικός (kosmētikós), from κοσμητής (kosmētḗs, “orderer, director, decorator”), from κοσμέω (kosméō, “to order, to arrange, to rule, to adorn, to equip, to dress, to embellish”), from κόσμος (kósmos, “order”). By surface analysis, cosmos + -etic.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.