pomatum means synonym of ointment, particularly thick waxy ointments scented with fruit used to beautify the skin or hair. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
pomatum is pronounced /pəˈmɑdəm/.
Why “pomatum” is a great word
A thick, waxy ointment, often scented with fruit, used to beautify the skin or style the hair. From Medieval Latin pomatum ("cider, ointment"), from Latin pōmum ("fruit, apple") + -ātum ("-ate: forming nouns"). First attested in English in 1562. Unlike the broad, medicinal "ointment" or the modern, often lighter "pomade," pomatum denotes a specific cosmetic artifact of indulgence. It is the heavy, rose-and-citrus-scented gloss on a Georgian gentleman's wig, the stubborn sheen holding a Victorian lady's elaborate coiffure against the humidity, and the faintly greasy, pear-scented film left on a porcelain jar—a fragrant, solid relic of vanities now cooled to a waxy permanence.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin pomatum (“cider, ointment”), from Latin pōmum (“fruit, apple”) + -ātum (“-ate: forming nouns”). Doublet of pomate, pomade, and pomace.
noun
- Synonym of ointment, particularly thick waxy ointments scented with fruit used to beautify the skin or hair.“There is likewise made an ointment with the pulpe of Apples and Swines grease and Rose water, which is vsed to beautifie the face... called in shops Pomatum, of the Apples whereof it is made.”
- Synonym of pomade, a kind of thick waxy hair product used as a styling gel.“[W]hen we were to assemble in the morning at breakfast, down came my wife and daughters, drest out in all their former splendour: their hair plaistered up with pomatum, their faces patched to taste, their trains bundled up into an heap behind, and rustling at every motion.”
- Synonym of cider, a soft or hard drink made from apples.
verb
- Synonym of pomade: to apply pomade.
- Synonym of anoint: to apply ointment.