Powder
/ˈpaʊ.dər/noun
A dry substance made of fine particles; also a cosmetic or medicinal dust.
Did you know?English powder comes through Old French from Latin pulvis, meaning “dust,” the same root behind pulviscular and the scientific word pulvinar, and it originally referred to anything reduced to fine dust.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“to beat, thresh, or strike”
Latin
Latin
pulvis
“dust, dry earth, powder”
Late Latin
Latin
pulver-
“dust, powder”
Old French
Old French
poudre
“powder, dust”
Middle English
English
poudre
“fine dust, powder”
Modern English
English
powder
“a fine dry substance in tiny particles”