brilliantine

American  

[bril-yuhn-teen] / ˈbrɪl yənˌtin /

noun

1. an oily preparation used to make the hair lustrous.

2. a dress fabric resembling alpaca.

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brilliantine British  

/ ˈbrɪljənˌtiːn /

noun

1. a perfumed oil used to make the hair smooth and shiny

2. a glossy fabric made of mohair and cotton

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Other Word Forms

• brilliantined adjective

Etymology

Origin of brilliantine

1870–75, < French brillantine. See brilliant, -ine ²

Example Sentences

One man, Diego Ortega, wears a layer of brilliantine so thick that his hair looks like a black patent-leather bathing cap.

From New York Times

Those memories belong to a distant England, a country of dreamy sunshine and brilliantine.

From The Guardian

The barber seemed to replace the pot of brilliantine with regret.

From Project Gutenberg

There was his little moustache-brush, and phial of brilliantine to burnish it.

From Project Gutenberg

He has brilliantine on that moustache, and he smells of hair-oil, and I’ll wager, too his hair will show gray at the roots, and I know it is thin on top.”

From Project Gutenberg