brilliantine
/ˈbrɪl.jən.tiːn/
brilliantine means A hair pomade, making the hair shine brilliantly.
brilliantine is pronounced /ˈbrɪl.jən.tiːn/.
Why “brilliantine” is a great word
A hair pomade used to add a high degree of shine and luster to the hair. Borrowed from French brillantine, itself derived from brillant ("shining") with the suffix -ine. Unlike "pomade," a general term for a scented hair ointment, or "hair gel," a firmer product for shaping and holding, brilliantine exists for a singular purpose: to create a specific, reflective light. It is the shimmer on the slicked-back hair of a 1930s ballroom dancer, the obsidian gleam crowning a patent-leather photograph, the liquid sheen that turns ordinary strands into a statement of polished control—less a product than a covenant with radiance, promising that even in shadow, a man may carry his own small luminescence.
Etymology
Borrowed from French brillantine.
noun
- A hair pomade, making the hair shine brilliantly.e.g.“The hairdresser's shop was warm and glittering. It smelled of soap and burnt paper and wallflower brilliantine.” — 1920, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Revelations”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 267:
- A smooth shiny, luxurious fabric, often of alpaca or vicuña.e.g.“Bathing Suit of Brilliantine in Navy Blue and Black, trimmed with white mohair braid and buttons (no bloomers). Special 3.95” — 1916 June 11, The New York Times, number 112:
verb
- To apply brilliantine to the hair.e.g.“And the waiter, of course, dips his fingers into the gravy—his nasty, greasy fingers which he is for ever running through his brilliantined hair.” — 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XIV, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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