powder

English

Alternative forms

• powdre (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English poudre, pouder, pouldre, borrowed from Old French poudre, poldre, puldre, from Latin pulverem, accusative singular of Latin pulvis (“dust, powder”). Compare pollen (“fine flour”), polverine, pulverize.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊdə(ɹ)

Noun

powder (countable and uncountable, plural powders)

1. The fine particles which are the result of reducing a dry substance by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or the result of decay; dust.
   • c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 50, column 2:

     Let me goe grin'd their Bones to powder ſmall, […]

   • 2017 February 3, Deborah Orr, “Veg crisis, what veg crisis? If we can’t have courgettes, then let us eat kale”, in The Guardian‎:

     Let them stop fretting about vegetables denied by the weather and eat chilli powder. Just explain to them that they really shouldn’t think about spiralising it, because that doesn’t work.

2. (cosmetics) A mixture of fine dry, sweet-smelling particles applied to the face or other body parts, to reduce shine or to alleviate chaffing.
   • 1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl:

     She was redolent of violet sachet powder, and had warm, soft, white hands, but she danced divinely, moving as smoothly as the tide coming in.

3. An explosive mixture used in gunnery, blasting, etc.; gunpowder.
   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 67, column 2:

     Tut, tut, good enough to toſſe: foode for Powder, foode for Powder: they'll fill a Pit, as well as better: tuſh man, mortall men, mortall men.

4. (informal) Ellipsis of powder snow.; light, dry, fluffy snow.
5. Ellipsis of powder blue.; the colour powder blue.

Derived terms

Descendants

• Tok Pisin: paura
  • → Rotokas: paora
• → Hindi: पाउडार (pāuḍār)
• → Maori: paura
• → Burmese: ပေါင်ဒါ (paungda)
• → Swahili: poda
• → Urdu: پاؤُڈَر (pāuḍar)

Translations

Verb

powder (third-person singular simple present powders, present participle powdering, simple past and past participle powdered)

1. (transitive) To reduce to fine particles; to pound, grind, or rub into a powder.
   • 25 October 2016, Bettina Elias Siegel writing in New York Times, Should the Food Industry Sneak Vegetables Into Food?

     In desperation, they dried fruits and vegetables in an old food dehydrator they had, then used their coffee grinder to powder the produce...

2. (transitive) To sprinkle with powder, or as if with powder.

   to powder one's hair

   • 23 March 2016, Seth Augenstein in Laboratory Equipment, FDA Proposes Ban on Powdered Surgical Gloves, Decades after Documenting Health Dangers

     Gloves were powdered for more than a century to allow doctors and surgeons to slip them on more easily.

   • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:

     A circling zone thou seest / Powdered with stars.

3. (intransitive) To use powder on the hair or skin.
   • 1778-1787, Frances Burney, The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay

     If she is grave, and reads steadily on, she dismisses me, whether I am dressed or not; but at all times she never forgets to send me away while she is powdering, with a consideration not to spoil my clothes

4. (intransitive) To turn into powder; to become powdery.
   • 1934, Edward Knight, The Clinical Journal, volume 63:

     Ample evidence is brought forward to show that the higher incidence of chronic interstitial nephritis in Queensland is due to lead paint on the verandahs and railings of the houses, which powders easily during the long Australian summer.

5. (obsolete, transitive) To sprinkle with salt; to corn, as meat.
6. (intransitive, slang) To depart suddenly; to "take a powder".
   • 1980, Stephen King, The Wedding Gig:

     Miss Gibson appeared in the empty hall, her eyes wide and shocked. The little man who had started all the trouble with his singing telegram had powdered.

Synonyms

• (to reduce to fine particles): pound, grind, comminute, pulverize, triturate

Translations

See also

• powder on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• powdre, powred, prowed

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French poudre.

Noun

powder

1. Alternative form of poudre

Etymology 2

From Old French poudrer.

Verb

powder

1. Alternative form of poudren