Where does “makeup” come from?

Makeup is a phrasal verb compound from English make up, itself derived from make and up, with origins tracing through Old English macian and Old English upp.

makeup (English): An item's composition; Cosmetics; colorants and...

Definitions

  1. An item's composition; Cosmetics; colorants and...

Ancestry of “makeup”, step by step

makeup traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French maquillage

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmaquillagemakeup
2Frenchmaquillerto disguise, cover or apply makeup (to); to dress up, to embellish
3Middle Frenchmacquillerto work, do
4Old Frenchmakierto build, make
5Old Dutchmacōnto make, do
6Proto-West Germanicmakōnto build, work, make
7Proto-Germanicmakazfit, suitable, agreeable, comfortable
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmaǵ-to oil, knead; to knead, oil

via English make up

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishmake up"To build or complete."; "To assemble, prepare.";...

Words derived from “makeup

Every word from Proto-Indo-European maǵ-Every word from Proto-Germanic makazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic makōn