sallow
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sallow¹
- /ˈsæloʊ/ US
- /ˈsæləʊ/ UK
- /ˈsæləʉ/ Australia
- /ˈsalo/ Scotland
Rhymes with -æləʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English salowe, from Old English salu, from Proto-West Germanic *salu, from Proto-Germanic *salwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *selH-.
See also Dutch zaluw, dialectal German sal; also Irish salach (“dirty”), Welsh halog, Latin salīva, Russian соло́вый (solóvyj, “cream-colored”), and - through Frankish - French sale.
adjective sallower · sallowest · salley
- Of an unhealthy pale colour. Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine Hath wash’d thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!
- Of a tan colour, associated with people from southern Europe or East Asia. The girls are mostly Slavic-pretty, long-limbed with high cheekbones, sallow skin and green eyes. They are the closest thing to supermodels that Mulhuddart has ever seen.
- Having skin (especially on the face) of a sickly pale colour. Time is jealous of you, and wars against your lilies and your roses. You will become sallow, and hollow-cheeked, and dull-eyed.
- Having a similar pale, yellowish colour. The terrible descriptions were so real and vivid, that the sallow pages seemed to turn red with gore […]
- Foul; murky; sickly. Mr. President, the sallow air of our cities, the blackened sands of our seashores, our lakes and harbors reeking of sewage and depleted of oxygen are but a part of the sad legacy of the idea that nature can be treated as a servant, blindly obedient to every want, whim or pleasure of man.
verb sallows · sallowing · sallowed · salley
- To become sallow. The tan of his sunburnt face and hands contrasted sadly with the sallowing skin of the girl-wife, who, despite his care, was sinking under her task of son-bearing.
- To cause (someone or something) to become sallow. 1835, Fanny Kemble (as Frances Anne Butler), Journal, London: John Murray, Volume 1, entry for 15 September, 1832, p. 105, footnote, The climate of this country is the scape-goat upon which all ill looks and ill health of the ladies is laid; but while they are brought up as effeminately as they are,
sallow²
- /ˈsæloʊ/ US
- /ˈsæləʊ/ UK
- /ˈsæləʉ/ Australia
- /ˈsalo/ Scotland
Rhymes with -æləʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English salow, salwe, from Old English sealh, from Proto-West Germanic *salh, from Proto-Germanic *salhaz, masculine variant of *salhō, *salhijǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂lk-, *sh₂lik-.
See also Low German Sal, Saal; Swedish sälg; also Welsh helyg, Latin salix (and also a doublet of the thence derived English borrowing salix) probably originally a borrowing from some other language.
noun sallows · salley
-
A European willow, Salix caprea, that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.
c. 1553, Humphrey Llwyd (translator), The Treasury of Healthe, London: William Coplande, Remedies, Chapter 44,
I[f] a man eate the flowers of a sallow or wyllowe tree, or of a Poplet tree, they wyl make cold al the heate of carnall lust in hym.
Similar: goat willow
- A willow twig or branch. Who-so that buildeth his hous al of salwes, And priketh his blinde hors over the falwes, And suffreth his wyf to go seken halwes, Is worthy to been hanged on the galwes!
Translations
Every language
adj yellowish
| Français | cireux, jaunâtre |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | blassgelblich, blässlich, teigig |
| Ελληνικά | ωχρός ochrós, χλωμός chlomós |
| Русский | земли́стый zemlístyj |
noun Salix caprea
| Español | zargatillo, sauce cabruno, salce cabruno |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 호랑버들 horangbeodeul |
| Français | saule marsault |
| Deutsch | Salweide |
| Italiano | salicone, salice delle capre |
| Ελληνικά | ιτιά itiá |
| Русский | и́ва козья íva kozʹja |
Talk about this word "sallow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sallow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sallow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sallow "sallow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sallow.Cite this
@misc{sallow_2026,
title = {sallow},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sallow},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
