pānt (from Old French peinctre , frequentative of peindre , Latin pingo , "to paint"): (1) From Hebrew verb משח , māshaḥ , "to smear," "to anoint," "to paint," describing the painting of interiors with vermilion, perhaps resembling lacquer: "ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion" ( Jeremiah 22:14 ). The shields of the Ninevite soldiers were red, presumably painted (Nahum 2:3 ). (2) From noun פּוּך , pūkh , "paint," "antimon," "stibium," "black mineral powder" used as a cosmetic, to lend artificial size and fancied beauty to the eye, always spoken of as a meretricious device, indicating light or unworthy character. Jezebel "painted her eyes, and attired her head" (2 Kings 9:30 , literally, "put pūkh into her eyes"). To the harlot city Jerusalem, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 4:30 ) says, "deckest thee ..., enlargest thine eyes with paint" (pūkh ). the King James Version renders "rentest thy face," as if the stain were a cut, or the enlarging done by violence. (3) From verb כּחל , kāḥal , "to smear," "to paint." Ezekiel says to Oholah-Oholibah (Judah-Israel), "didst wash thyself, paint (kāḥal ) thine eyes," as the adulteress prepares herself for her paramour (Ezekiel 23:40 ). The antimony, in an extremely fine powder (Arabic kuḥl , from kāḥal ), is placed in the eye by means of a very fine rod, bodkin, or probe, drawn between the edges of the eyelids. This distends the eye, and also increases its apparent size, the effect being increased by a line of stain drawn from the corner, and by a similar line prolonging the eyebrow. See EYEPAINT; COLOR .
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source-manifest/isbe— ISBE (PD)