1790–1800; < Arabic kohl, variant of kuhl. See alcohol
Kohl is a dark powder that's used as eye makeup. When you dress up for a fancy event, you might add a dramatic line of kohl along the top of your eyelid. Kohl is an especially familiar cosmetic in South Asia, the Middle East, and various parts of Africa. It's commonly associated with India, where it's used by women, as well as some men and children. Kohl is worn in several Indian states as part of religious festivals, and in others it's frequently applied to babies' eyes. Historians have traced kohl back at least as far as 3100 BCE, when it was applied to the eyes of Egyptian queens.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They were MTV staples for grimy videos like “Breathe” and “Firestarter,” where the dual-mohawked singer/dancer Keith Flint skulked around an empty subway tunnel, sneering in kohl eyeliner and an American flag sweater.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2025
The same goes for surma, another rendition of kohl that’s commonly worn by Muslim men in South Asian countries.
From Salon • Dec. 8, 2023
As readers twist open their liner applicator, they’ll be reminded of the Wodaabe men who wear kohl to enhance their appearance and attract a partner in a ritual ceremony.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2023
That makeup could be soft and androgynous — think David Bowie, with his celestially iridescent, pink-lidded appearances as Ziggy Stardust — or it could be tough: Lou Reed in black lipstick and kohl.
From New York Times • May 10, 2021
He found nothing there but a kohl pot half full of the black eye paint, a copper mirror, a razor and a little jar of the ointment Gebu had been perfuming himself with lately.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
