Adjacent Words

Tallow definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TAL'LOW, n. A sort of animal fat, particularly that which is obtained from animals of the sheep and ox kinds. We speak of the tallow of an ox or cow, or of sheep. This substance grows chiefly about the kidneys and on the intestines. The fat of swine we never call tallow, but lard or suet. I see in English books, mention is made of the tallow of hogs, [See Cyclopedia, article Tallow;] but in America I never heard the word thus applied. It may be applied to the fat of goats and deer. The fat of bears we call bear's grease. Tallow is applied to various uses, but chiefly to the manufacture of candles.
TAL'LOW, v.t. To grease or smear with tallow.
1. To fatten; to cause to have a large quantity of tallow; as, to tallow sheep.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: obtained from suet and used in making soap, candles and lubricants

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English talgh, talow; akin to Middle Dutch talch tallow Date: 14th century the white nearly tasteless solid rendered fat of cattle and sheep used chiefly in soap, candles, and lubricants • tallowy adjective II. transitive verb Date: 15th century to grease or smear with tallow

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. the harder kinds of (esp. animal) fat melted down for use in making candles, soap, etc. --v.tr. grease with tallow. Phrases and idioms: tallow-tree any of various trees, esp. Sapium sebiferum of China, yielding vegetable tallow. vegetable tallow a vegetable fat used as tallow. Derivatives: tallowish adj. tallowy adj. Etymology: ME talg, talug, f. MLG talg, talch, of unkn. orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tallow Tal"low, n. [OE. taluh, talugh; akin to OD. talgh, D. talk, G., Dan. and Sw. talg, Icel. t[=o]lgr, t[=o]lg, t[=o]lk; and perhaps to Goth. tulgus firm.] 1. The suet or fat of animals of the sheep and ox kinds, separated from membranous and fibrous matter by melting. Note: The solid consistency of tallow is due to the large amount of stearin it contains. See Fat. 2. The fat of some other animals, or the fat obtained from certain plants, or from other sources, resembling the fat of animals of the sheep and ox kinds. Tallow candle, a candle made of tallow. Tallow catch, a keech. See Keech. [Obs.] Tallow chandler, one whose occupation is to make, or to sell, tallow candles. Tallow chandlery, the trade of a tallow chandler; also, the place where his business is carried on. Tallow tree (Bot.), a tree (Stillingia sebifera) growing in China, the seeds of which are covered with a substance which resembles tallow and is applied to the same purposes.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tallow Tal"low, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tallowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Tallowing.] 1. To grease or smear with tallow. 2. To cause to have a large quantity of tallow; to fatten; as, tallow sheep.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Tallow is hard animal fat that is used for making candles and soap.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Suet (freed from adhering membranes).

Moby Thesaurus

animal oil, cerate, drying oil, essential oil, ester, fat, fatty oil, fixed oil, grease, hydrogenated fat, lipid, mineral oil, oil, oleum, polyunsaturated fat, sebum, unsaturated fat, vegetable oil, volatile oil