adj.
- relating to treatment or products intended to improve a person's appearance.
- affecting only the appearance of something:
the reform package was merely a cosmetic exercise.
n.
(
usu. cosmetics)
a cosmetic preparation, especially for the face.
Derivative
Etymology
C17: from Fr. cosmétique, from Gk kosmētikos, from kosmein ‘arrange or adorn’, from kosmos ‘order or adornment’.