talc
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talc
- /tælk/
Rhymes with -ælk
Where it comes from
From Middle French talc, from Arabic طَلْق (ṭalq), from Persian تلک (talk), from Middle Persian [Term?] (“medicament”).
noun talcs
- Originally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern times (see below). Also an item made of such a mineral and depending for its function on the special nature of the mineral (see next). Medieval writers adopted the term from the Arabic.
- A microscope slide made of a plate of mica, generally in use from the start of modern microscopy until the early nineteenth century, after which glass slides became the standard medium. M. [Antonie van] Leeuwenhoek fixed his objects, if they were ſolid, to the foregoing point with glue; if they were fluid, he fitted them on a little plate of talc, or exceeding thin blown glaſs, which he afterwards glued to the needle, in the ſame manner as his other objects.
- A soft mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, that has a soapy feel and a greenish, whitish, or grayish color, and usually occurs in foliated masses. The abeer is often mixed with powdered talc to make it glitter, and then, if it gets into the eyes, it causes a good deal of pain.
- Talcum powder.
verb talcs · talcing · talced
- To apply talc to. "Generous talcing" is applied not only to the naked bale, but to the inside of the wrapper, and after stenciling, to the interior of the package. This talcing is repeated, "if necessary, dependent upon the number of handlings up to and into stores for steamer loading."
Translations
Talk about this word "talc." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/talc. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. talc. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/talc "talc." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/talc.Cite this
@misc{talc_2026,
title = {talc},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/talc},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
