makeup
noun/ˈmeɪkʌp/
Etymology Deverbal from make up. Noun sense 2 is a semantic loan from French maquillage, from maquiller (“to make up, fabricate”).
1
Usually An item's composition.
- To understand how a nuclear reactor works, we must first look at its makeup.
- After the size and makeup of Congress was decided by the Founding Fathers, it was time to lawmake.2005, Bennett Fairorth, Philadelphia Holidays 2004, Turkish Pleasures 1997, page 269:
2
Usually Cosmetics; colorants and other substances applied to the skin to alter its appearance.
- She is wearing a lot of makeup.
3
Business, Manufacturing Usually Replacement; material used to make up for the amount that has been used up.
- When the water level drops, the float ball drops with it and opens the valve to the makeup water supply.2005, William C. Whitman, William M. Johnson, John A. Tomczyk, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Technology, page 1208:
4
Education Usually A test given to students allowing them to repeat failed material.
- “Will I get a chance to take a makeup? My mother paid for the exam.”2020, Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow, Oneworld Publications, page 117:
- Synonyms
- configuration, constitution, form, beauty products, cosmetics, product, slap, war paint
- Derived terms
- antimakeup, face without makeup, fakeup, kabuki makeup syndrome, makeup artist, makeup call, makeup editor, makeup remover, mineral makeup, undermakeup
- Hyponyms
- face. See also Thesaurus:toiletry