cosmetics applied to the face, or tests or assignments taken again after being missed
Compound word from 'make' plus 'up.' The cosmetic sense came from 'making up' your face (improving it), while the academic sense means 'making up' for missed work.
The phrase 'makeup exam' comes from the idea of 'making up for' a missed test, which is why you sometimes hear people say 'makeup class'—it's repairing what was missed by adding it back in!
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