A powder or liquid used in laser printers and photocopiers to create printed images and text. It can also refer to a cosmetic product used to cleanse and tone the skin.
From the word 'tone' plus the agent suffix '-er,' meaning 'that which tones.' In printing, it refers to the substance that creates tonal values in images; in cosmetics, it 'tones' or conditions the skin. Both meanings developed in the mid-20th century with technological and cosmetic advances.
It's fascinating that 'toner' serves two completely different modern purposes—one puts images on paper, the other removes impurities from skin—yet both are called 'toner' because they both involve controlling or adjusting 'tone,' whether visual or textural!
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