Blushers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of cosmetic used to add color to the cheeks or face, often applied to enhance natural complexion
2. Products designed to impart a rosy hue to the skin, contributing to a healthy appearance
3. The act of becoming visibly red in the face due to embarrassment or shyness, sometimes associated with the use of cosmetic products

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: "blush" plus the agent suffix "-er", meaning a thing that blushes or, here, a thing that produces a blush. The suffix's own history is longer than the word. It descends from Latin "-arius", which Old French carried into Middle English as "-ier" and "-er", while Old English already had a related "-ere" that merged with it. So the ending is inherited through a long chain of languages, but the word itself is simply a modern noun built from an English verb. The cosmetic sense is the striking part. "Blush" originally meant a flush of colour in the face, the thing a person did, and only later was the reddening used as a verb for applying colour to the cheeks. A "blusher" is therefore a tool or product for producing the effect that the verb once named in the face alone. Once the make-up sense took hold, the plural "blushers" simply refers to several such products.