powder /powˈdər/

1. Any solid in the form of fine dust-like particles
2. (also face powder) a cosmetic in this form patted onto the skin to give it a soft smooth appearance
3. Hair-powder (qv)
4. Gunpowder
5. Dust (obsolete)
6. Powder snow (skiing)
7. A dose of medicine in powder form

1. To reduce to powder, to pulverize
2. To sprinkle, daub or cover with powder
3. To sprinkle with salt or spices in preserving, to salt (obsolete or dialect)
4. To sprinkle

1. To crumble into powder
2. To use powder for the hair or face

powˈdered adjective

1. Reduced to powder eg (of food) through dehydration and crushing
2. Sprinkled, daubed or dusted with powder
3. Salted

powˈdery adjective

1. Of the nature of powder
2. Covered with powder
3. Dusty
4. Friable

powder blue noun

A pale blue colour, orig produced from powdered smalt (qv)

powder box noun

A box for face powder, hair-powder, etc

powder burn noun

A minor burn caused to skin in proximity to a gunpowder explosion

powder closet or powˈdering-closˈet noun (historical)

A small room in which hair was powdered

powder compact see compact¹

powder down noun

A kind of down on some birds that readily disintegrates in powder

powdered sugar noun (N American)

Very fine sugar produced by grinding granulated sugar

powder flask or powder horn noun

A flask (orig a horn) for carrying gunpowder

powˈdering-gown noun

A loose dressing-gown worn while the hair was being powdered

powˈdering-tub noun

1. A vessel in which meat is salted
2. A tub used in the treatment of venereal disease by sweating (obsolete)

powder keg noun

1. A small barrel for gunpowder
2. A potentially explosive situation

powder magazine noun

A place where gunpowder is stored

powder metallurgy noun

The science and art of preparing metals for use by reducing them, as a stage in the process, to powder form

powder mill noun

A mill in which gunpowder is made

powder monkey noun

1. A boy carrying powder from the magazine to the gunners on a ship-of-war (historical)
2. Generally, someone who carries out blasting operations

powder puff noun

1. A pad of velvety or fluffy material for dusting powder onto the skin
2. An effeminate male homosexual (slang)

powder room noun

1. A ship's powder magazine
2. A room for powdering the hair (also powˈdering-room)
3. A ladies' cloakroom or toilet (euphemistic)

powˈder-skiing noun

(the art of) skiing in powder snow such as that encountered off piste

powder snow noun

Freshly fallen loose thick dry snow

powdery mildew noun

1. A plant disease affecting eg roses, caused by a parasitic fungus (family Erysiphaceae), whose spores appear as a powdery white covering on leaves and stems
2. Any of the fungi that cause this disease

keep one's powder dry

1. To preserve one's energies so as to be able to act when the moment comes, play a waiting game
2. To observe all practical precautions

powder one's nose (euphemistic; of a woman)

To go to the toilet

• barn dances
• barn door
• barn doors
• barned
• barnet
• barnets
• barney
• barneys
• barning
• bar none
• barn owl
• barn owls
• barns
• barnsbreaking
• barnsbreakings
• barnstorm
• barnstormed
• barnstormer
• barnstormers
• barnstorming
• barnstormings
• barnstorms
• barn swallow
• barn swallows
• barnyard