Powder may refer to a number of topics, including:
Several powdery substances are known colloquially as "powder":
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POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust), the small loose particles into which solid matter is disintegrated by such processes as grinding, crushing, pounding, &c., hence any preparation which takes the form of such loose uncompacted particles, the most familiar example of such preparation being that of gunpowder. Many powders are found in medical uses, some of which have retained the name of their inventor, such as the compound powder of rhubarb, "Gregory powder," named after a Scottish doctor, James Gregory (1758-1822). Various preparations in form of powder are used for toilet purposes. During the period when the hair or wig was worn "powdered" or whitened, houses had a special room set apart for the process, known as the powdering-room or closet. In some birds, such as the herons, certain down-feathers or plumulae break off into a fine dust as fast as they are formed and form tracts defined in size and situation and known as "powder-down patches."
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From Old English poudre, pouldre, Old French poudre, poldre, puldre, Latin pulvis (“‘dust, powder’”). cf. pollen fine flour, mill dust, E. pollen. Cf. {polverine}, {pulverize}.
\Pow"der\
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Plural |
powder (countable and uncountable; plural powders)
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Infinitive |
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Present participle |
to powder (third-person singular simple present powders, present participle powdering, simple past and past participle powdered)
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]] Powder is very small, dry pieces or grains. When we press some dry solids very hard, or when we cut something up into lots of small pieces, we can sometimes make powder.
For example, people sometimes put face powder on their faces, when they want to look good. Sometimes sports players put powder on their hands, to make them dry. We put curry powder in our food, to make it taste stronger. We put washing powder in the washing machine when we want to have clean clothes. People use gunpowder to make bombs and fireworks.
To powder is also a verb: Mary powdered her face. When a person says "I am going to powder my nose" they usually mean that they are going to use the toilet (US English: use the bathroom).
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