kohl
UK /kəʊl/ · US /koʊl/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms kohls kohling kohled
- noun A dark powder, usually powdered stibnite (an antimony ore), used as eye makeup, especially in Eastern countries.
- verb (transitive) To decorate one's eyes with kohl.
- proper noun A surname from German.
Etymology
From Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl, “antimony; kohl, stibnite (powdered antimony)”). Doublet of alcohol and alcool.
From the German surname, from Kohl (“cabbage”). Compare Koehl, Cole, Coll, Kail, Kale.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A mixture of soot and other ingredients, used by Egyptian and other Eastern women to darken the edges of the eyelids.
Etymology [See Alcohol.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “kohl”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details