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talc

(tălk)

A fine-grained white, greenish, or gray mineral, Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂, having a soft soapy feel and used in talcum and face powder, as a paper coating, and as a filler for paint and plastics.

tr.v. talcked, talck·ing, talcs or talced or talc·ing

To apply this substance to (a photographic plate, for example).

[French, from Medieval Latin talcum and Old Spanish talco, both from Arabic ṭalq, from Persian talk.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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