Cosmetics

How to spell cosmetics

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce cosmetics

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does cosmetics mean?

1. nounPreparations such as lipstick, foundation, and powder applied to the face or body to enhance appearance.

Cosmetics in a sentence

• The department store moved its cosmetics counter to the ground floor.

• She keeps her cosmetics in a small zipped bag for travel.

Where does cosmetics come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek kosmetikos, meaning 'skilled in arranging or adorning', which was built on the verb kosmein, 'to arrange, to order, to decorate'. That verb in turn came from kosmos, the Greek word for 'order' and also for the orderly, beautiful universe, the very same root that gives us 'cosmos' and 'cosmic'. The link is logical: just as the cosmos was seen as ordered and harmonious, cosmetics were the things used to bring order and beauty to the appearance. English took the word in through French cosmétique in the seventeenth century, and the plural noun 'cosmetics' for beauty preparations became established not long after. Remembering its kinship with 'cosmos' helps fix the opening 'cos-' and the single 's' in the spelling.

How the word is built

• cosmet- (from Greek kosmetikos: skilled in adornment)
• -ic (relating to)
• -s (plural)