Dictionary

kumkum en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkʊmkʊm/ (UK)

Etymology

From Hindi कुमकुम (kumkum) from Sanskrit कुङ्कुम (kuṅkuma).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) A red powder, made from saffron or turmeric, used ceremonially by Hindu women to make various markings on the body, especially the tilak.
   • Saubhagya Devi sent Alak Kishori to fetch kumkum. 2015, Tridip Suhrud, translating Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, Sarasvatichandra I, Orient BlackSwan 2015, p. 134
   • A maid passed her the gold thali with a lamp and kumkum and turmeric powder in it. 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 197:

Forms