What does depilator mean?
A depilator is a device or product used to remove unwanted hair from the body. The word most often refers to an electric appliance intended for personal grooming, although it can also denote a chemical preparation that removes hair. In everyday use, depilator is closely associated with consumer products marketed for the legs, underarms, and other areas where hair removal is desired. Its meaning is broader than that of epilator, since it may cover devices that shave, pluck, or otherwise remove hair, as well as depilatory creams and other substances. Although the term can sound clinical because of its Latinate form, it is normally neutral in modern household and retail contexts. Depilator is useful to speakers seeking a general noun for personal hair-removal products rather than a more specific term such as razor, wax, or tweezer.
nounA device or substance used to remove hair from the body, especially unwanted hair. It may be an electric appliance or a chemical hair-removing preparation.
- A device designed to remove hair from the body, such as an electric grooming appliance.
- A substance or preparation used to remove unwanted hair, especially a chemical depilatory.
"She used the electric depilator before getting ready for the evening."
"The electric depilator made grooming her legs much quicker."
"A pharmacist recommended a gentle depilator for sensitive skin."
The standard plural is depilators.
"The shop displayed several electric depilators beside the razors."
A depilator comes from the same Roman root as depilatory: Latin de- plus pīlus, literally signaling the removal of hair.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does depilator come from?
The word was borrowed into English from Latin depilātor, an agent noun meaning “a remover of hair.” Latin depilātor was formed from depilāre, “to remove hair,” using de- to express removal and pīlus, the Latin word for hair. Related English forms include depilatory and epilation, while pilose preserves the same Latin root in a different sense.
How depilator is actually used
Depilator is most common in consumer and grooming contexts. In British usage, it may refer broadly to electric devices that pluck or shave hair, including devices also marketed as epilators; North American usage also commonly presents it as a name for an electric hair-removal appliance.
Easily confused with depilator
An epilator typically uses rotating tweezer-like heads to pluck hair, whereas depilator is a broader term that can also cover razors, waxing devices, or chemical removers.