What Does Shampoo Mean?
Shampoo is a liquid soap for washing your hair. It is also a verb: to shampoo your hair means to wash it with that soap.
I put some shampoo in my hand.
Dad shampooed my hair in the bath.
🔊 Pronunciation
sham-POO
The stress is on the second part: sham-POO. The first part is quick and quiet.
Say it slowly first: sham... poo. Then say it faster, and the stress will land on the second part.
🗣️ Natural Examples
The shampoo smells like strawberries.
Leo used too much shampoo, and the bath was full of bubbles.
Please pack a small bottle of shampoo for the trip.
She shampooed the dog in the garden.
🛠️ How to Use It
Shampoo works as a noun and as a verb.
- As a noun, it is usually uncountable: some shampoo, a little shampoo. When you mean different kinds, you can say two shampoos.
- As a verb, it means to wash hair, or to clean a carpet or sofa with a foam cleaner.
- Past tense and -ed form: shampooed. The -ing form: shampooing.
- Dry shampoo is a powder or spray that freshens hair without water.
🤝 Common Word Partners
- a bottle of shampoo
- shampoo and conditioner
- apply shampoo
- rinse out the shampoo
- dry shampoo
- shampoo your hair
👯 Similar and Related Words
- conditioner: a cream you put on after shampoo to make hair soft.
- soap: a bar or liquid for cleaning skin or things.
- lather: the foam you get when you rub soap or shampoo with water.
- rinse: wash off with clean water.
- massage: press and rub muscles. This is where the story begins.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Spelling. There are two o's at the end.
❌ shampo, shampu
✅ shampoo
Stress the second part.
❌ SHAM-poo
✅ sham-POO
It is a "bottle of shampoo", not "a shampoo". Use a shampoo only for a kind or a brand.
❌ I bought a shampoo for my hair.
✅ I bought a bottle of shampoo for my hair.
💬 In a Conversation
Mia: Did you know shampoo was a massage first?
Leo: Really?
Mia: Yes. Now I massage my head with shampoo.
Leo: So you are doing it the old way.
🕵️ Where Does It Come From?
Shampoo comes from the Hindi word champo. It is the command form of champna, a verb that meant to press or squeeze, especially the muscles.
English took the word from India in the 1700s. The first known use in English is from 1762, and it meant to massage the body. So for the first hundred years of the word's life, nobody used it for hair.
Around 1860 the meaning moved to washing hair. That is why we still use shampoo for the part of the wash where you rub your head.
Two other Hindi-based words are already on OddLingo: bungalow and jungle.
💡 The OddLingo Trick
Close your eyes and rub your head gently with your fingers.
You are doing the original shampoo: a massage. The soap just joined later.