brilliantine

[ bril-yuhn-teen ]

noun

1. an oily preparation used to make the hair lustrous.
2. a dress fabric resembling alpaca.

brilliantine

/ ˈbrɪljənˌtiːn /

noun

1. a perfumed oil used to make the hair smooth and shiny
2. a glossy fabric made of mohair and cotton

Other Words From

• brillian·tined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of brilliantine¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of brilliantine¹

C19: from French, from brillant shining

Example Sentences

The man in front of me, his hair slick with brilliantine, adjusted his doily, pulled it down to his neck.

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