Powder in different languages

Powder in Different Languages

Discover 'Powder' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Powder, a simple word that evokes a multitude of images and associations. From the fine, glistening particles of freshly fallen snow to the vibrant, colorful hues of makeup, powder is a versatile substance that has woven itself into the fabric of our cultures and languages. Its significance extends beyond mere functionality, as it has been used for ceremonial purposes, artistic expression, and even as a symbol of social status.

Throughout history, powder has played a crucial role in various cultural contexts. In ancient Egypt, for instance, scented powders were used in religious ceremonies and as a form of personal hygiene. Meanwhile, in 18th century Europe, the use of face powder became a symbol of wealth and sophistication. Today, powder continues to be an essential part of our daily lives, whether it's the talcum powder that soothes our skin or the baking powder that gives our cakes their fluffy texture.

Given its widespread use and cultural importance, it's no surprise that the word 'powder' has been translated into countless languages around the world. Here are just a few examples:

Powder


Powder in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanspoeier
In Afrikaans, the word "poeier" is derived from the Dutch word "poeder" and can also mean "fine dust" or "talcum powder"
Amharicዱቄት
In addition to referring to a substance in powder form, "ዱቄት" can also refer to flour or meal, particularly in a raw or uncooked state.
Hausafoda
"Foda" is also derived from the Proto-Chadic word *foːdə, meaning "flour or powder."
Igbontụ ntụ
The word "ntụ ntụ" can also refer to a type of traditional Igbo perfume made from ground nuts and spices.
Malagasyvovoka
"Vovoka" is also used to refer to certain types of powders in specific contexts, such as "vovoka manga" (charcoal powder) or "vovoka sakay" (ginger powder).
Nyanja (Chichewa)ufa
The word "ufa" also means "flour" in Nyanja.
Shonaupfu
"Upfu" originated from the word "pfuura", meaning "to blow", as powder is created by blowing a substance into a fine dust.
Somalibudada
The word "budada" in Somali also refers to traditional henna paste used to decorate the body, especially the hands and feet.
Sesothophofo
Swahilipoda
In Swahili, 'poda' is also a type of traditional cloth made from bark, resembling velvet.
Xhosaumgubo
The term "umgubo" in Xhosa can also refer to a traditional African hair styling product made from white clay, herbs, and sometimes animal fat.
Yorubalulú
Lulú can also refer to a type of facial scarification practiced by the Yoruba people.
Zuluimpuphu
Imphuphu, in Zulu, comes from the Proto-Bantu word *punpunu*, or "ash or soot".
Bambaramugu ye
Eweatikekui si wotsɔna ƒoa ƒui
Kinyarwandaifu
Lingalapoudre ya poudre
Lugandabutto
Sepediphofo ea phofo
Twi (Akan)powder a wɔde yɛ nneɛma

Powder in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicمسحوق
The word "مسحوق" also means "powdered milk" in Arabic.
Hebrewאֲבָקָה
"אֲבָקָה" (powder) is related to the root "אב" (father) and may have originally referred to the dust or pollen that is associated with fertilization.
Pashtoپوډر
'Powder' in Pashto is also often spelled 'powder', and is likely ultimately derived from the French 'poudre', meaning 'gunpowder'.
Arabicمسحوق
The word "مسحوق" also means "powdered milk" in Arabic.

Powder in Western European Languages

Albanianpluhur
The Albanian word "pluhur" traces its roots to the Proto-Indo-European "pleu-," meaning "to smash or crush," hinting at its connection to grinding or pulverizing substances.
Basquehautsa
The word hautsa is derived from the Proto-Basque root *haut- ('dust, fine substance'), which also yielded the noun hautsi ('dust')
Catalanpols
In Northern Catalan, "pols" also means 'dust'
Croatianpuder
"Puder" in Croatian originally meant "gunpowder".
Danishpulver
In Danish, the word "pulver" can also refer to a medicinal powder that is dissolved in liquid.
Dutchpoeder
In some dialects, "poeder" can also refer to a type of flour or baking powder.
Englishpowder
The word "powder" comes from the Old French word "poudre," which in turn comes from the Latin word "pulvis," meaning "dust" or "powder."
Frenchpoudre
The word "poudre" in French derives from the Latin word "pulvis", meaning "dust, powder" and is also used to refer to the explosive gunpowder, known as "poudre noire" (black powder) in French.
Frisianpoeder
Frisian "poeder" can also mean "sugar" or "gunpowder".
Galicianpo
In Galician, besides its meaning as "powder", "po" also denotes a powder-like substance obtained by finely grinding a solid, like cocoa or coffee.
Germanpulver
Pulver (powder) derives from Latin 'pulvis' (dust), hence also 'Pulverisierung' (pulverization) and 'zerpulvern' (to pulverize).
Icelandicduft
In Old Norse, "duft" referred to a fine dust that was used to dye wool and other textiles.
Irishpúdar
‘Púdar’ can also mean dust, flour, or gunpowder.
Italianpolvere
The word "polvere" also means "dust" or "ashes" in Italian.
Luxembourgishpudder
The word also refers to a sweet pastry made from yeast dough, quark, and plums
Maltesetrab
The word "trab" in Maltese can also refer to dust or a fine powder that results from grinding or wearing down a substance.
Norwegianpulver
In Norwegian, "pulver" can also mean "powdered spice".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)
The word "pó" can also refer to "dust" or "pollination".
Scots Gaelicpùdar
The Scots Gaelic word pùdar is an anglicisation of "powder" but also means "thunder" or "rumbling noise".
Spanishpolvo
In Spanish, "polvo" can also refer to a fine dust or a cloud of small particles.
Swedishpulver
In Finnish, it also means "gunpowder" and is sometimes used in this sense in Swedish.
Welshpowdr
The Welsh word "powdr" can also mean "magic" or "dust".

Powder in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпарашок
The Belarusian word "парашок" is also used to refer to a very small amount of something (especially something illegal) or to the dust from a road.
Bosnianprah
The word "prah" in Bosnian is etymologically related to the Proto-Slavic word *porxъ, meaning "dust" or "ashes".
Bulgarianпрах
The word "прах" in Bulgarian originates from the Proto-Slavic word "porxъ", which means "dust" or "ashes"
Czechprášek
The word "prášek" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*pьrsьk" (sprinkle), related to "prskati" (to sprinkle).
Estonianpulber
The word "pulber" is derived from the German word "Pulver", which also means "powder".
Finnishjauhe
The Finnish word "jauhe" can also refer to a type of coarse-ground coffee.
Hungarianpor
In addition to its primary meaning, "por" can also refer to a form of punishment in which a criminal is buried in the ground up to their waist and left to die of exposure.
Latvianpulveris
The word "pulveris" in Latvian comes from the Latin word "pulvis", which means "dust" or "powder".
Lithuanianmilteliai
The word "milteliai" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *mel-, "to grind"
Macedonianправ
The word 'прав' can also refer to 'dust' or 'ashes' in Macedonian.
Polishproszek
The word "proszek" in Polish derives from the German word "Pulver" and originally meant "musket powder".
Romanianpudra
"Pudră" comes from the Latin word "pulvis" meaning "dust" or "powder".
Russianпорошок
The Russian word "порошок" (poroshok) derives from the Proto-Slavic word "porxъ", which originally meant "dust".
Serbianпрах
The word "прах" in Serbian also means "ashes" or "dust", reflecting its origin in the Proto-Slavic word for "disintegration".
Slovakprášok
The word "prášok" in Slovak is derived from the Old Czech word "prach", meaning "dust" or "powder", and is related to the Polish word "proch".
Slovenianprah
The word 'prah' is a Slavic word for 'powder', also used in Polish and Slovak.
Ukrainianпорошок
The word "порошок" comes from the Old Church Slavonic слово "порхъ", which means "dust".

Powder in South Asian Languages

Bengaliগুঁড়া
"গুঁড়া" means "powder" in Bengali, but it also refers to a fine dust or powder that is used as a cosmetic or medicine.
Gujaratiપાવડર
The Gujarati word "પાવડર" is derived from the Persian word "paudar" and also refers to gunpowder.
Hindiपाउडर
In Hindi, 'पाउडर' can also mean 'gunpowder' or 'medicine'
Kannadaಪುಡಿ
The Kannada word 'pudi' is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word 'puti', meaning 'to grind' or 'to make fine'.
Malayalamപൊടി
The Malayalam word 'പൊടി' ('powder') also refers to the dust created by grinding a material.
Marathiपावडर
"पावडर" (powder) is derived from the Portuguese word "polvera" meaning "pot", "dust box" or "small box", and is also used to refer to a type of traditional Indian sweet, a steamed rice cake.
Nepaliपाउडर
The Nepali word "पाउडर" is derived from the English word "powder", which in turn is derived from the Old French word "poudre" or the Middle English word "powder", which is thought to have originated from the Proto-Germanic root *pordus, meaning "dust, ground soil, powder."
Punjabiਪਾ powderਡਰ
The word "ਪਾ powderਡਰ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पर्ण" (parṇa), meaning "leaf". Additionally, it means "gunpowder" in the Punjabi language.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කුඩු
In Sinhala, the word "කුඩු" ("powder") is also used as a measurement unit for small quantities of substances, such as spices or medicine.
Tamilதூள்
The word "தூள்" (powder) in Tamil also refers to dust, ash, and the pollen of flowers.
Teluguపొడి
The Telugu word "పొడి" also means "small" or "slight".
Urduپاؤڈر
The word "پاؤڈر" (powder) is derived from the Middle French word "poudre" (gunpowder).

Powder in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)粉末
The character 粉 in 粉末 also means "to mill" or "to grind".
Chinese (Traditional)粉末
'粉末' is also used to refer to the fine powder used in cosmetics and medicine, known as 'talc' or 'face powder' in English.
Japaneseパウダー
The word "パウダー" (powder) in Japanese can also refer to a fine, powdery snow.
Korean가루
In Korean, '가루' (garu) also refers to flour, starch, or dust, highlighting its versatile nature beyond just describing cosmetic products.
Mongolianнунтаг
Although ᠨᠤᠨᠲᠠᠭ is derived from the word ᠨᠠᠮ Trần, it can also mean "dust" and "flour" in certain contexts.
Myanmar (Burmese)အမှုန့်

Powder in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianbubuk
"Bubuk" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhuka" meaning "dust".
Javanesebubuk
"Bubuk" also refers to face powder or the powder makeup that the female nobles of the Java royal court used to apply on their faces.
Khmerម្សៅ
“ម្សៅ” can also mean “salty” or “spicy”.
Laoຜົງ
The word “ຜົງ” in Lao can also refer to dust, flour, pollen, or even gunpowder
Malayserbuk
The word "serbuk" is thought to come from the Sanskrit word "dhrb", meaning "to hold" or "to contain".
Thaiผง
The Thai word ผง originates from the Mon word ပေါង meaning 'to break into small pieces'. It also refers to a medicinal mixture, especially of ground herbs.
Vietnamesebột
The word "bột" can also refer to the residue of boiled rice, a paste made from fermented rice, or a flour made from various grains or beans.
Filipino (Tagalog)pulbos

Powder in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanitoz
The word "toz" in Azerbaijani also means "dust" and is derived from the Persian word "tūz".
Kazakhұнтақ
The Kazakh word "ұнтақ" ("powder") is also used to describe finely-ground substances such as flour or spices.
Kyrgyzпорошок
The word "порошок" can also refer to "dust" or "medicine" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikхока
"Хока" (powder) in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "hâk", meaning "dust" or "powder".
Turkmenporoşok
Uzbekkukun
The word "kukun" can also refer to "talc powder" when used as "kukun kukuni".
Uyghurپاراشوك

Powder in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpauka
The word "pauka" also means "war club" in Hawaiian.
Maoripaura
The Māori word "paura" can also refer to a type of fine flour or starch.
Samoanefuefu
In Samoan, 'efuefu' can also refer to the powdered pollen of plants used in traditional medicine and cosmetics.
Tagalog (Filipino)pulbos
The word "pulbos" is derived from the Spanish word "polvo" and also means "dust" or "talcum powder" in Tagalog.

Powder in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraukatsti ukax mä polvo satawa
Guaranipolvo rehegua

Powder in International Languages

Esperantopulvoro
The word "pulvoro" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "pulvis" (dust or powder) via French "poudre".
Latinpulveris
Pulveris, the Latin word for "powder," is related to the verb "pulverare," meaning "to bruise or crush into dust."

Powder in Others Languages

Greekσκόνη
In ancient Greek, "σκόνη" also referred to "dust" or "ash" created by burning something, and its metaphorical use extended to indicate "trouble" or "hardship."
Hmonghmoov
**Hmoov** can also mean "flour" or "dust."
Kurdishtoz
The word "toz" in Kurdish can also mean "dust", "dirt", or "ashes".
Turkishpudra
In Turkish, "pudra" not only refers to "powder" but also to "cocaine" and "heroin" in criminal slang.
Xhosaumgubo
The term "umgubo" in Xhosa can also refer to a traditional African hair styling product made from white clay, herbs, and sometimes animal fat.
Yiddishפּודער
The Yiddish word "פּודער" (powder) also means "face powder".
Zuluimpuphu
Imphuphu, in Zulu, comes from the Proto-Bantu word *punpunu*, or "ash or soot".
Assameseগুড়ি
Aymaraukatsti ukax mä polvo satawa
Bhojpuriपाउडर के बा
Dhivehiޕައުޑަރެވެ
Dogriपाउडर दा
Filipino (Tagalog)pulbos
Guaranipolvo rehegua
Ilocanopulbos
Kriopaoda we dɛn kin yuz
Kurdish (Sorani)پاودەر
Maithiliपाउडर
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯄꯥꯎꯗꯔ꯫
Mizopowder a ni
Oromodaakuu
Odia (Oriya)ପାଉଡର |
Quechuapolvo nisqa
Sanskritचूर्णम्
Tatarпорошок
Tigrinyaፓውደር ዝበሃል ዱቄት።
Tsongaphoyizeni

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