surman.
/ˈsʊəmə/, U.S. /ˈsʊrmə/, Indian English /ˈsʊrma/ East India.
A black powder consisting of sulphide of antimony or of lead, used by Indian women for staining the eyebrows and eyelids.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the face > [noun] > cosmetics for the face > for the eyes > colour for lids and brows
stibiuma1398
stibie1548
calliblephary1601
stibic stone1609
alcohol1615
eyebrow pencil1779
kohl1799
surma1819
darkener1847
mascara1886
eye-black1912
eye shadow1922
eyeshade1923
shadow1936
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 56 They [sc. Turkish women] paint their Eye-brows and Eye-lids with a blackish colour, which they call Surmee.]
1819 T. Hope Anastasius (1820) II. iii. 59 A pair of eyes..were not deemed to possess all their requisite powers, until framed in two black cases of surmeh.
1820 T. S. Hughes Trav. Sicily I. ix. 255 Their eyebrows..tinged with surmè.
1837 J. F. Royle Ess. Antiq. Hindu Med. 100 With it [sc. sulphuret of antimony], I believe, is frequently confounded the sulphuret of lead, which, in Northern India, is called soormee..and used as a substitute for the former.
1896 Month May 33 Henna for her nails, kohl and soorma for her eyes.
1913 19th Cent. May 996 Shams-ud-Din blackened the edges of my eyelids with surma (antimony).
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1918; most recently modified version published online September 2022).
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