powder, n. [OE. poudre, pouldre, F. poudre, OF. also poldre, puldre, L. pulvis, pulveris: cf. pollen fine flour, mill dust, E. pollen. Cf. Polverine, Pulverize.].

The fine particles to which any dry substance is reduced by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or into which it falls by decay; dust. [1913 Webster]
"Grind their bones to powder small." [1913 Webster]
An explosive mixture used in gunnery, blasting, etc.; gunpowder. See Gunpowder. [1913 Webster]

Atlas powder, Baking powder, etc. See under Atlas, Baking, etc. -- Powder down (Zoöl.), the peculiar dust, or exfoliation, of powder-down feathers. -- Powder-down feather (Zoöl.), one of a peculiar kind of modified feathers which sometimes form patches on certain parts of some birds. They have a greasy texture and a scaly exfoliation. -- Powder-down patch (Zoöl.), a tuft or patch of powder-down feathers. -- Powder hose, a tube of strong linen, about an inch in diameter, filled with powder and used in firing mines. Farrow. -- Powder hoy (Naut.), a vessel specially fitted to carry powder for the supply of war ships. They are usually painted red and carry a red flag. -- Powder magazine, or Powder room. See Magazine, 2. -- Powder mine, a mine exploded by gunpowder. See Mine. -- Powder monkey (Naut.), a boy formerly employed on war vessels to carry powder; a powder boy. -- Powder post. See Dry rot, under Dry. -- Powder puff. See Puff, n.

powder, v. t. [F. poudrer.].

To reduce to fine particles; to pound, grind, or rub into a powder; to comminute; to pulverize; to triturate. [1913 Webster]
To sprinkle with powder, or as with powder; to be sprinkle; as, to powder the hair. [1913 Webster]
"A circling zone thou seest
Powdered with stars." [1913 Webster]
To sprinkle with salt; to corn, as meat. [1913 Webster]

powder, v. i.

To be reduced to powder; to become like powder; as, some salts powder easily. [1913 Webster]
To use powder on the hair or skin; as, she paints and powders. [1913 Webster]

top

OXFORD DICTIONARY

powder, n. & v.
--n.
1 a substance in the form of fine dry particles.
2 a medicine or cosmetic in this form.
3 = GUNPOWDER.
--v.tr.
1 a apply powder to (powder one's nose). b sprinkle or decorate with or as with powder.
2 (esp. as powdered adj.) reduce to a fine powder (powdered milk).

Idiom

keep one's powder dry be cautious and alert. powder blue pale blue. powder-flask hist. a small case for carrying gunpowder. powder-keg
1 a barrel of gunpowder.
2 a dangerous or volatile situation. powder metallurgy the production of metal as fine powders to make objects. powder-monkey hist. a boy employed on board ship to carry powder to the guns. powder-puff a soft pad for applying powder to the skin, esp. the face. powder-room a women's cloakroom or lavatory in a public building. powder snow loose dry snow on a ski-run etc. take a powder sl. depart quickly.

Derivative

powdery adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF poudre f. L pulvis pulveris dust

top

THESAURUS

powder

Ballistite, TNT, abrade, abscond, absquatulate, air pollution, atomize, attritus, balm, balsam, base, beat, besprinkle, bran, bray, bread, break up, brecciate, buck, cellulose nitrate, clown white, coat, cold cream, come to dust, comminute, compact, contriturate, cordite, cosmetics, cosmic dust, cover, crumb, crumble, crumble into dust, crumble to dust, crush, decamp, disappear, disintegrate, dog it, dot, dredge, drops, drug, drugstore complexion, dust, dust ball, dynamite, effloresce, efflorescence, electuary, elixir, escape, ethical drug, explosive, eye shadow, eyebrow pencil, fall to dust, fall to pieces, fallout, farina, filings, flour, foundation, foundation cream, fragment, generic name, grain, granulate, granulize, grate, greasepaint, grind, grind to powder, grits, groats, gunpowder, hand cream, hand lotion, herbs, high explosive, inhalant, kittens, lam, levigate, lincture, linctus, lint, lip rouge, lipstick, make off, makeup, mascara, mash, materia medica, meal, medicament, medication, medicinal, medicinal herbs, medicine, melinite, mill, mixture, mudpack, nail polish, nitrocotton, nitroglycerin, nonprescription drug, officinal, paint, patent medicine, pepper, pestle, pharmacon, physic, plastic explosive, pound, powder puff, preparation, prescription drug, proprietary, proprietary medicine, proprietary name, puff, pulverize, pussies, raspings, reduce to powder, rouge, run away, sawdust, scrunch, shard, shred, simples, skedaddle, skip, skip out, smash, smokeless powder, smut, soot, spatter, speck, speckle, splatter, split, spot, sprinkle, squash, stud, syrup, take a powder, take off, talc, talcum, talcum powder, theraputant, tisane, trinitrotoluol, triturate, vanish, vanishing cream, vanity case, vegetable remedies, villanous saltpetre, war paint

top

ROGET THESAURUS

powder

Arms

N arm, arms, weapon, deadly weapon, armament, armaments, armature, panoply, stand of arms, armor, armory, apparatus belli, ammunition, powder, powder and shot, cartridge, ball cartridge, cartouche, fireball, villainous saltpeter, dumdum bullet, explosive, gunpowder, guncotton, mercury fulminate, picrates, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN, high explosive, trinitrotoluene, TNT, dynamite, melinite, cordite, lyddite, plastic explosive, plastique, pyroxyline, sword, saber, broadsword, cutlass, falchion, scimitar, cimeter, brand, whinyard, bilbo, glaive, glave, rapier, skean, Toledo, Ferrara, tuck, claymore, adaga, baselard, Lochaber ax, skean dhu, creese, kris, dagger, dirk, banger, poniard, stiletto, stylet, dudgeon, bayonet, sword-bayonet, sword-stick, side arms, foil, blade, steel, ax, bill, pole-ax, battle-ax, gisarme, halberd, partisan, tomahawk, bowie knife, ataghan, attaghan, yataghan, yatacban, assagai, assegai, good sword, trusty sword, naked sword, cold steel, club, mace, truncheon, staff, bludgeon, cudgel, life preserver, shillelah, sprig, hand staff, quarter staff, bat, cane, stick, knuckle duster, billy, blackjack, sandbag, waddy, gun, piece, firearms, artillery, ordnance, siege train, battering train, park, battery, cannon, gun of position, heavy gun, field piece, mortar, howitzer, carronade, culverin, basilisk, falconet, jingal, swivel, pederero, bouche a feu, petard, torpedo, mitrailleur, mitrailleuse, infernal machine, smooth bore, rifled cannon, Armstrong gun, Lancaster gun, Paixhan gun, Whitworth gun, Parrott gun, Krupp gun, Gatling gun, Maxim gun, machine gun, pompom, ten pounder, small arms, musket, musketry, firelock, fowling piece, rifle, fusil, caliver, carbine, blunderbuss, musketoon, Brown Bess, matchlock, harquebuss, arquebus, haguebut, pistol, postolet, petronel, small bore, breach-loader, muzzle-loader, revolver, repeater, Minis rifle, Enfield rifle, Flobert rifle, Westley Richards rifle, Snider rifle, Martini-Henry rifle, Lee-Metford rifle, Lee-Enfield rifle, Mauser rifle, magazine rifle, needle gun, chassepot, wind gun, air gun, automatic gun, automatic pistol, escopet, escopette, gunflint, gun- lock, hackbut, shooter, shooting iron, six-shooter, shotgun, Uzzi, assault rifle, Kalashnikov, bow, crossbow, balister, catapult, sling, battering ram, gunnery, ballistics, missile, bolt, projectile, shot, ball, grape, grape shot, canister shot, bar shot, cannon shot, langrel shot, langrage shot, round shot, chain shot, balista, ballista, slung shot, trebucbet, trebucket, bullet, slug, stone, brickbat, grenade, shell, bomb, carcass, rocket, congreve, congreve rocket, shrapnel, mitraille, levin bolt, levin brand, thunderbolt, pike, lance, spear, spontoon, javelin, dart, jereed, jerid, arrow, reed, shaft, bolt, boomerang, harpoon, gaff, eelspear, oxgoad, weet-weet, wommerah, cattle prod, chemical mace, en flute, nervos belli pecuniam infinitam.

Ornament

VB ornament, overlay with ornament, overcharge, smell of the lamp, ornament, embellish, enrich, decorate, adorn, bead, beautify, adonize, smarten, furbish, polish, gild, varnish, whitewash, enamel, japan, lacquer, paint, grain, garnish, trim, dizen, bedizen, prink, prank, trick out, fig out, deck, bedeck, dight, bedight, array, begawd, titivate, dress, dress up, spangle, bespangle, powder, embroider, work, chase, emboss, fret, emblazon, illuminate, illustrate, become.

Littleness

N littleness, smallness, exiguity, inextension, parvitude, parvity, duodecimo, Elzevir edition, epitome, microcosm, rudiment, vanishing point, thinness, dwarf, pygmy, pigmy, Liliputian, chit, pigwidgeon, urchin, elf, atomy, dandiprat, doll, puppet, Tom Thumb, Hop-o'-my-thumb, manikin, mannikin, homunculus, dapperling, cock-sparrow, animalcule, monad, mite, insect, emmet, fly, midge, gnat, shrimp, minnow, worm, maggot, entozoon, bacteria, infusoria, microzoa, phytozoaria, microbe, grub, tit, tomtit, runt, mouse, small fry, millet seed, mustard seed, barleycorn, pebble, grain of sand, molehill, button, bubble, point, atom, fragment, powder, point of a pin, mathematical point, minutiae, micrometer, vernier, scale, microphotography, photomicrography, micrography, photomicrograph, microphotograph, microscopy, microscope (optical instruments), little, small, minute, diminutive, microscopic, microzoal, inconsiderable, exiguous, puny, tiny, wee, petty, minikin, miniature, pygmy, pigmy, elfin, undersized, dwarf, dwarfed, dwarfish, spare, stunted, limited, cramp, cramped, pollard, Liliputian, dapper, pocket, portative, portable, duodecimo, dumpy, squat, short, impalpable, intangible, evanescent, imperceptible, invisible, inappreciable, insignificant, inconsiderable, trivial, infinitesimal, homoeopathic, atomic, subatomic, corpuscular, molecular, rudimentary, rudimental, embryonic, vestigial, weazen, scant, scraggy, scrubby, thin, granular, shrunk, brevipennate, in a small compass, in a nutshell, on a small scale, minutely, microscopically.

Pulverulence

N powderiness, pulverulence, sandiness, efflorescence, friability, powder, dust, sand, shingle, sawdust, grit, meal, bran, flour, farina, rice, paddy, spore, sporule, crumb, seed, grain, particle, limature, filings, debris, detritus, tailings, talus slope, scobs, magistery, fine powder, flocculi, smoke, cloud of dust, cloud of sand, cloud of smoke, puff of smoke, volume of smoke, sand storm, dust storm, pulverization, comminution, attenuation, granulation, disintegration, subaction, contusion, trituration, levigation, abrasion, detrition, multure, limitation, tripsis, filing, mill, arrastra, gristmill, grater, rasp, file, mortar and pestle, nutmeg grater, teeth, grinder, grindstone, kern, quern, koniology, powdery, pulverulent, granular, mealy, floury, farinaceous, branny, furfuraceous, flocculent, dusty, sandy, sabulous, psammous, arenose, arenarious, arenaceous, gritty, efflorescent, impalpable, lentiginous, lepidote, sabuline, sporaceous, sporous, pulverizable, friable, crumbly, shivery, pulverized, attrite, in pieces.

For further exploring for "powder" in Webster Dictionary Online