pomade
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of pomade
1555–65; earlier pommade < French < Italian pomata (so called because apples were originally an ingredient), equivalent to pom ( a ) apple (< Latin, plural (taken in VL as feminine singular) of pōmum fruit) + -ata -ade 1. See pomatum
Explanation
Pomade is a greasy kind of styling product for your hair. Are your curls a mess? You might want to apply some pomade to tidy them up. Now mostly thought of as old-fashioned, pomade is still around and used by those who want a slicked-back or wet-look hairdo. Unlike modern hair products such as spray, gel, and mousse, pomade doesn't dry. You can even keep pomade in your hair through several washings, because it's so waxy. The word itself comes from the Italian word for "apple," pomo, thanks to the inclusion of mashed apples in the original pomade recipe.
Vocabulary lists containing pomade
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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The Color Purple
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"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell
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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.
Past Marvin had a mustache, hair pomade and cold eyes — that’s as much deep psychology as we get.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025
Because bathing kiwis in a dressing tames their fuzz, just like pomade smooths frizzed hair on a humid day.
From Salon • Jul. 17, 2021
That prison soap must be suffused with argan oil – either that or Robbins’ scalp secretes pomade, given his lustrous locks are more solid than those securing the cell doors.
From The Guardian • Apr. 8, 2020
His thick, steel-gray hair was swept back Gatsby style and lacquered with what looked like pomade.
From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2020
In the heat of late summer, the scent of her bergamot hair pomade was like sweet, sun-hot oranges.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
