What does epilate mean?
To epilate means to remove body hair by extracting it at the root rather than cutting it off at the surface, as shaving does. The word is most often used in connection with an epilator — a small handheld electrical device that grasps multiple hairs and pulls them out — but it can also cover waxing and other methods that remove hair from the follicle. Because the entire hair shaft must regrow from scratch, epilated skin stays smooth considerably longer than shaved skin, which explains the method's popularity despite its reputation for being uncomfortable. The term belongs chiefly to beauty, grooming, and cosmetic marketing contexts; in casual conversation, speakers tend to say they are waxing or plucking instead. It derives from the Latin pilus, meaning hair, and pairs naturally with its derivatives epilation and epilator.
verbTo remove hair from the body by mechanical or chemical means, especially by pulling it out at the root rather than shaving it off.
- To remove unwanted body hair by pulling it out from the root, as with an epilator, tweezers, or wax.
"She decided to epilate her legs before the beach holiday so the results would last for weeks."
"The salon offers treatments to epilate even the most sensitive areas of skin."
"Many people prefer to epilate rather than shave because regrowth takes noticeably longer and feels finer."
'Epilate' comes from the Latin pilus, meaning hair — the same root that gives us 'caterpillar', literally a fuzzy little 'hair-cat'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of epilate
The verb 'epilate' derives from Latin pilus, meaning 'hair', via the Medieval or New Latin verb epilare, formed with the prefix e- ('out of') plus the hair root. English adopted it in the early twentieth century alongside its sibling 'depilate', which carries the same Latin root with a de- prefix. The shared root also surfaces in the unlikely word 'caterpillar', whose older forms literally suggested a hairy, cat-like creature.
Related word forms
How epilate is actually used
A somewhat formal or technical verb, common in beauty and cosmetics contexts; in everyday speech people more often name the specific method ('wax', 'pluck', 'tweeze'). The related noun 'epilator' refers to the handheld electrical device used for this purpose.
Easily confused with epilate
Both mean removing body hair, but 'depilate' is the more general and clinical term for any hair removal (including shaving), while 'epilate' typically implies removing hair at the root with a device or wax.