brilliantine

American  

[bril-yuhn-teen] / ˈbrɪl yənˌtin /

noun

1. an oily preparation used to make the hair lustrous.

2. a dress fabric resembling alpaca.

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brilliantine British  

/ ˈbrɪljənˌtiːn /

noun

1. a perfumed oil used to make the hair smooth and shiny

2. a glossy fabric made of mohair and cotton

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Other Word Forms

• brilliantined adjective

Etymology

Origin of brilliantine

1870–75, < French brillantine. See brilliant, -ine ²

Example Sentences

The rest of her family was dressed in black or gray, their hair neatly combed, the boys’ heads shimmering with brilliantine.

From Literature

It was a brilliant dark vermilion, like a ripe orange, and it was plastered back with immense quantities of brilliantine in the same fashion as the Headmaster’s.

From Literature

She smelled his milky clots and the decay of his teeth and the citrus brilliantine in his hair, as if a grove of lemons lay hidden there.

From Literature

One man, Diego Ortega, wears a layer of brilliantine so thick that his hair looks like a black patent-leather bathing cap.

From New York Times

Those memories belong to a distant England, a country of dreamy sunshine and brilliantine.

From The Guardian