Depilatory
/dɪˈpɪl.ə.tɔːr.i/noun
A substance or treatment used to remove hair.
Did you know?Depilatory comes from Latin depilāre, built from de- (“off, away”) + pilus (“hair”), so the word literally encodes hair being stripped away—an ancient body-word with a very physical, almost ritual force.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
depilāre
“to remove the hair from; to strip hair away”
Late Latin
Latin
depilātōrius
“serving to remove hair”
Middle French
French
depilatoire
“hair-removing”
16th Century
English
depilatory
“removing hair; a hair-removing preparation”
Modern English
English
depilatory
“a substance used to remove hair”