maquillage
Americannoun
noun
-
make-up; cosmetics
-
the application of make-up
Etymology
Origin of maquillage
1890–95; < French, equivalent to maquill ( er ) to apply makeup (originally theater argot, perhaps to be identified with Old French masquillier blacken, smear, akin to mascurer, mascherer, verbal derivative of Vulgar Latin *mascar-; see masquerade) + -age -age
Explanation
The makeup you wear on stage to better embody the role of Lady Macbeth can be called maquillage. The thick, exaggerated maquillage exaggerates your features so that the whole audience can see your face. The French word maquillage comes from the verb maquiller, which means "to apply makeup," but also "to disguise or cover." In English, the term is most often used to refer to theatrical makeup — or to sound extra fancy: "My sister, the queen of maquillage, did all the face painting at the party!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’m not advocating the Barbara Cartland school of maquillage here, but there’s no getting away from it: grey hair is a complexion drainer so the face needs more colour.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 31, 2019
Although in many respects an unknown quantity, the new head of state would not dream of being so un-French as to ignore the demands of his maquillage.
From The New Yorker ● May 9, 2017
It was a private ritual, this morning maquillage, undertaken in public.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2017
That strong use of maquillage is part of the striking element of Romantic self-dramatizing in her stage personality.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2015
I am not a believer in maquillage for the dead.
From Youth and Egolatry by Jacob S. (Jacob Sloat) Fassett
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.
