mascara
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
Etymology
Origin of mascara
1885–90; < Spanish: mask; see mask
Explanation
Mascara is makeup that makes your eyelashes look longer and thicker. If you wear mascara while watching a really sad movie, you may end up with black smudges under your eyes. Some people wear mascara every day, to darken their lashes or accent their eyes. Others save mascara — along with lipstick and eye shadow — for special occasions. Some form of mascara has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Egypt, when kohl was used to color eyelashes. In English, this cosmetic was called mascaro from the 1880s until the 1920s, from the Italian word maschera, or "mask."
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.
When Lincoln Riley was hired, my dream of the Trojans’ return to glory was not a berth in the Maybelline Mascara Bowl against the Scottsdale Artichokes.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2024
Oscar Winning Tears is a soaring big band ballad; Black Mascara simmers and roils over a filtered house beat; Flip A Switch is dark, foreboding trap-pop.
From BBC • Jul. 27, 2023
“FWC is in charge of the investigation, however we assisted with a helicopter and manpower,” Mascara said.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2023
Zendaya’s upcoming film will be based on Spector’s 1990 autobiography, "Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness."
From Fox News • Jan. 14, 2022
Mascara is smeared over my cheekbones, and I have a cut on my lower lip.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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.
