Powdered describes something that has been ground or crushed into a fine dust, or something covered with such a dust. When you buy powdered sugar at the grocery store, regular sugar has been ground so fine it feels soft as silk between your fingers. Powdered milk is real milk that's had all the water removed, leaving behind a dry powder you can store for months and turn back into milk by adding water.

The word can also mean covered with powder. In the 1700s, wealthy people wore powdered wigs: they dusted their wigs with white powder made from starch. Today, a powdered donut is one coated with powdered sugar, leaving white dust on your fingers and probably your shirt.

You'll see powdered versions of many foods: powdered cocoa for hot chocolate, powdered cheese on popcorn, or powdered gelatin for making desserts. Turning something into powder makes it easier to store, mix with other ingredients, or measure precisely. Scientists and doctors use powdered forms of medicine because exact dosages matter, and powders can be measured more accurately than liquids.