pomatum
9.9
An oily scented cream used to style and shine hair
- noun
- /pəˈmeɪtəm/
- Archaic
:
pomada
- She found a jar of lavender pomatum among her grandmother’s old toiletries.
- pomatum for the hair
Examples
-
In the eighteenth century, gentlemen would use pomatum to give their wigs a glossy sheen.
-
Before the dance, he carefully applied pomatum to tame his unruly curls.
-
He applied some pomatum to his hair.
-
The pomatum made his hair look shiny.
-
He applied a little pomatum to his hair to keep it styled and shiny.
-
To achieve the classic look, she used pomatum to slick back her hair.
-
The actor's stylists recommended a fragrant pomatum for a polished appearance.
Synonyms
pomade
vspomatum
4
7.3
A scented hair cream that makes hair smooth and shiny
is less about adding shine and more about general hair grooming
3.2
A cream or oil that makes hair look neat
is a specific scented oily ointment used for styling rather than general grooming
How Shiny
Surface Forms
Etymology
Pomatum comes from the Latin pomum, which means 'apple', because early hair ointments were often made with apples or had an apple scent. So pomatum is an oily, scented paste used to style and shine the hair.