Made in Arabic
kohl
الكُحْل
A small bronze kohl flask in the form of a duck, from the Umayyad period, cast in two halves joined along the middle, with a tube at the back to hold the applicator. Arabic kuḥl is the powder used to line the eyes, and English took the word as it was: kohl. With the article, al-kuḥl also gave English alcohol: first any fine powder, then a distilled essence.
- Instrument
- a bronze kohl flask in the form of a duck, Umayyad period, 661–750
The path between languageskuḥl → kohl
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, ملكٌ عامّ
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