Etymologically
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cosmetic

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:42. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /kɒzˈmɛtɪk/[1]
  • US: /kɑzˈmɛt.ɪk/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κοσμητικός (kosmētikós, “skilled in arranging or adorning”),[2][3][4][5] partly through French cosmétique.[6][7][8][9][10] The noun, first used for the art of beautifying, follows κοσμητική (kosmētikḗ), the feminine of the adjective, with the Greek word for "art" understood.[3][8][2][4] The Greek adjective comes from κοσμητός (kosmētós, “well-ordered”),[3][5][4] from κοσμέω (kosméō, “to arrange, adorn”),[2][8][6] from κόσμος (kósmos, “order, ornament”),[2][8][5] the source of cosmos.[8][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The art of adorning or beautifying the body: 1605, in Francis Bacon's Advancement of Learning.[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The adjective, "having power to beautify", and the noun for a preparation used to beautify the skin, hair or complexion are both recorded from 1650, in John Bulwer;[2][3] Etymonline dates both to the 1640s,[8] and Merriam-Webster dates the adjective to 1638.[4] The longer form cosmetical is older, from the 1550s.[8] From 1713 a cosmetic could also be a person who practised the art.[2] In the 20th century the adjective was applied to surgery that improves the appearance (1926).[2][8] From 1955 it was used figuratively of something that affects only the surface or the appearance of a thing.[2][8] The verb, to treat with cosmetics, appears in 1897 in Mark Twain.[2]

Timeline

  • 1550s – cosmetical, the earlier adjective.[8]
  • 1605 – noun, the art of beautifying the body.[2][3][4]
  • 1638 – adjective, relating to beauty (Merriam-Webster's date).[4]
  • 1650 – adjective, able to beautify; noun, a preparation for beautifying.[2][3]
  • 1713 – a person who practises the cosmetic art.[2]
  • 1897 – verb, to treat with cosmetics.[2]
  • 1926 – of surgery, improving the appearance.[2][8]
  • 1955 – superficial, affecting the appearance only.[2][8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A preparation applied to the face, skin or hair to improve its appearance, such as lipstick or powder; usually in the plural: She kept her cosmetics in a small leather case.
  2. (archaic) The art of beautifying the body.

Adjective

  1. Serving to beautify the body, especially the face.
  2. Of surgery or treatment: improving the appearance rather than the function.
  3. Affecting only the outward appearance; superficial, meant to hide a deeper fault: The new paint was a cosmetic fix for a failing building.

Word family

  • cosmetically
  • cosmeceutical
  • cosmeticize
  • cosmetic surgery

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  6. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  7. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press