Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An oily, perfumed hairdressing.
  • noun A glossy fabric made from cotton and worsted or cotton and mohair.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A dress-goods for women's wear, similar to alpaca, but superior to it in richness of material and finish.
  • noun A name freely and generally employed to designate toilet preparations of variable composition for the face or bair.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An oily composition used to make the hair manageable and glossy.
  • noun A dress fabric having a glossy finish on both sides, resembling alpaca but of superior quality.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A hair pomade, making the hair shine brilliantly.
  • noun A smooth shiny, luxurious fabric, often of alpaca or vicuña.
  • verb To apply brilliantine to the hair.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a pomade to make the hair manageable and lustrous

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French brillantine, from brillant, brilliant; see brilliant.]

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Examples

  • After shampooing, brilliantine, which was a rich glossy product, was applied, to give hair a nice sheen.

    On How to Be Lovely | Edwardian Promenade 2010

  • Activating the brilliantine salacioubrooch given to him by the Waarghbeings of the Outer Dark, he quickly teleported to the Egypto-Ugaritic Life-torque meters.

    Things People Like to Write About; Or, This Week is Already Off to a Bad Start 2009

  • Their hair was now loose and tousled, no longer trapped by the macassar oil and brilliantine pomade of former years.

    The Wonderful World of Hair | Edwardian Promenade 2009

  • His thick black hair shone with brilliantine, his dark face was shiny with sweat, his eyes were wide with fear.

    Poem About Never Growing Up Ryan McDermott 2010

  • She thought about the first night Nick had showed up, with the stocky, well-dressed man with hair layered in brilliantine.

    DIAMOND RUBY Joseph Wallace 2010

  • This fellow had gotten on the train at a stop outside Los Angeles; with his "snappy" checked suit and well-oiled hair, pomaded with brilliantine, he evidently thought he cut quite a fine figure and that she should be well aware of the fact.

    red dust Ryn Cricket 2010

  • She thought about the first night Nick had showed up, with the stocky, well-dressed man with hair layered in brilliantine.

    DIAMOND RUBY Joseph Wallace 2010

  • After her testimony, lobbyists of every persuasion surrounded Gertrudis, vying for her attention in competing clouds of brilliantine.

    The Lady Matador’s Hotel Cristina García 2010

  • She thought about the first night Nick had showed up, with the stocky, well-dressed man with hair layered in brilliantine.

    DIAMOND RUBY Joseph Wallace 2010

  • I borrow Nikki's Veniss - girly girl curl, brilliantine aqua, and soft - and attempt to cut through the growth.

    Archive 2004-10-01 Dean Francis Alfar 2004

Comments

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  • I approached them just as the brilliantine was losing its glutinous power and my hair was again assuming, in slow motion, its vertical position.

    --Umberto Eco, 1988, Foucault's Pendulum, p. 114

    September 29, 2008