pulvillio

English

Alternative forms

pulvil, pulvilio, pulville

Etymology

From Spanish polvillo, diminutive of polvo (“dust, powder”). Compare later pulvil.

Noun

pulvillio (countable and uncountable, plural pulvillios)

(now rare, historical) A kind of perfumed cosmetic powder, applied to the skin, hair or wig. [from 17th c.]
- 1711 May 23 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, May 12, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 63; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
  Smells of incense, ambergris, and pulvillios.
  The spelling has been modernized.
- 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:
  [H]is own skull, at the same instant, descended upon the side of his couch with such violence, that his periwig was struck off, and the whole room filled with pulvilio.

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.