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Origin and history of tallow

tallow(n.)

hard animal fat, especially as separated and used to make soap, candles, etc., mid-14c., taloue, talwgh, from a source (perhaps an unrecorded Old English word) cognate with Middle Low German talg "tallow," Middle Dutch talch, from Proto-Germanic *talga-, meaning perhaps originally "firm, compact material" (compare Gothic tulgus "firm, solid").

OED (1989) says related Scandinavian words probably are from continental Germanic. The English word is implied from late 13c. in surnames (Geoffrey le Talghmongere). Tallow-chandler "one who makes tallow candles" is recorded from c. 1400.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to tallow

tallowy(adj.)

mid-15c., "having the properties of tallow;" by 1832 as "yellowish-white in color or complexion;" from tallow (n.) + -y (2).

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    Trends of tallow

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    candle
    "cylindrical body of tallow, wax, etc., formed on a wick and used as a source of artificial light," Old English candel "lamp..., lantern, candle," an early ecclesiastical borrowing from Latin candela "a light, torch, candle made of tallow or wax,"...
    stearin
    , from French stéarine, coined by French chemist Marie-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889) from Greek stear (genitive steatos) "tallow...
    soap
    drip"), from PIE *soi-bon-, from root *seib- "to pour out, drip, trickle" (perhaps also the source also of Latin sebum "tallow...
    smear
    " (source also of Greek myron "unguent, balsam," Old Irish smi(u)r "marrow," Old English smeoru "fat, grease, ointment, tallow...
    stone
    to thicken, stiffen" (source also of Sanskrit styayate "curdles, becomes hard;" Avestan stay- "heap;" Greek stear "fat, tallow...
    essence
    late 14c., essencia (respelled late 15c. on French model), from Latin essentia "being, essence," abstract noun formed (to translate Greek ousia "being, essence") from essent-, present participle stem of esse "to be," from PIE root *es- "to be." Originally "substance of the Trinit
    anxiety
    1520s, "apprehension caused by danger, misfortune, or error, uneasiness of mind respecting some uncertainty, a restless dread of some evil," from Latin anxietatem (nominative anxietas) "anguish, anxiety, solicitude," noun of quality from anxius "uneasy, troubled in mind" (see anx
    bug
    "insect, beetle," 1620s (earliest reference is to bedbugs), of unknown origin, probably (but not certainly) from or influenced by Middle English bugge "something frightening, scarecrow" (late 14c.), a word or meaning that has become obsolete since the "insect" sense arose, except
    flesh
    Old English flæsc "flesh, meat, muscular parts of animal bodies; body (as opposed to soul)," also "living creatures," also "near kindred" (a sense now obsolete except in phrase flesh and blood), from Proto-Germanic *flaiska-/*fleiski- (source also of Old Frisian flesk, Middle Low
    horizon
    late 14c., orisoun, from Old French orizon (14c., Modern French horizon), earlier orizonte (13c.), from Latin horizontem (nominative horizon), from Greek horizon (kyklos) "bounding (circle)," from horizein "bound, limit, divide, separate," from horos "boundary, landmark, marking

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    Dictionary entries near tallow
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