What is "powder puff"

Powder \Pow"der\, n. [OE. poudre, pouldre, F. poudre, OF. also poldre, puldre, L. pulvis, pulveris: cf. pollen fine flour, mill dust, E. pollen. Cf. Polverine, Pulverize.]

1. The fine particles to which any dry substance is reduced by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or into which it falls by decay; dust.

   Grind their bones to powder small.
   --Shak.

2. An explosive mixture used in gunnery, blasting, etc.; gunpowder. See Gunpowder.

   Atlas powder, Baking powder, etc. See under Atlas, Baking, etc.

   Powder down (Zo["o]l.), the peculiar dust, or exfoliation, of powder-down feathers.

   Powder-down feather (Zo["o]l.), one of a peculiar kind of modified feathers which sometimes form patches on certain parts of some birds. They have a greasy texture and a scaly exfoliation.

   Powder-down patch (Zo["o]l.), a tuft or patch of powder-down feathers.

   Powder hose, a tube of strong linen, about an inch in diameter, filled with powder and used in firing mines.
   --Farrow.

   Powder hoy (Naut.), a vessel specially fitted to carry powder for the supply of war ships. They are usually painted red and carry a red flag.

   Powder magazine, or Powder room. See Magazine, 2.

   Powder mine, a mine exploded by gunpowder. See Mine.

   Powder monkey (Naut.), a boy formerly employed on war vessels to carry powder; a powder boy.

   Powder post. See Dry rot, under Dry.

   Powder puff. See Puff, n.

n. A ball or pad of soft material used for the application of cosmetic powder to the face.

Powder puffs are pieces of soft material used for the application of face powder. They may be shaped as balls or pads.

Historically, powder puffs have been made of very fine down feathers, cotton, fine fleece, etc. In modern times synthetic materials are widely used for powder puffs.

In addition to softness, an important characteristic of powder puffs is their intake ability, i.e., the ability to hold powder. It was reported that for synthetic fibers important factors in designing high-intake powder puffs are mostly geometric ones: fiber diameter, pile length, and space between fibers, with little dependence on material factors.

Powder puffs have been used as a stereotype image for soft, careless femininity, as seen, e.g., in the term " powderpuff sports", including collegiate sorority flag football leagues. The name of the Powerpuff Girls is a pun on "powder puff".

Powder puff is a piece of soft material used for the application of powder. The term may also refer to one of the following:

• Powderpuff (sports), female divisions for typically male sports, in some contexts
• "Powder puff", a type of ballet tutu
• Powder-puff plant (disambiguation)
• Powderpuff, a type of the Chinese Crested Dog breed
• Powderpuff, a common name for the plant Mimosa strigillosa