fucus

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a brown seaweed of the genus Fucus, common on rocky seashores and including bladderwrack

   Dense fucus formed an underwater habitat along the rocky coast.

2. 2
   noun

   archaic: a cosmetic paint or coloring applied to the face

   The actor's pale fucus concealed the marks on his skin.

3. 3
   noun

   archaic: an artificial disguise, pretense, or deceptive appearance

   The flattering account was merely a fucus hiding the policy's failures.

From Latin fucus and Greek phykos, 'seaweed.' In antiquity seaweed-derived dyes and rouges were used as cosmetics, giving Latin fucus the additional senses 'face paint' and, by metaphor, 'disguise or pretense.'

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