talc
/tælk/
talc noun: 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.
Noun
talc (countable and uncountable, plural 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.1787, George Adams, Essays on the Microscope; containing a Practical Description of the most Improved Microscopes: a General History of Insects, their Transformations, Peculiar Habits, and Œconomy...
- 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.1856, Life in Brazil, page 103
- With this background and experience we feel justified in stating that not all talcs contain, or are associated with, asbestos.1978, C. J. Parmentier with G. J. Gill, “Practical Aspects of Talc and Asbestos”, in C. C. Gravatt, Philip D. LaFleur, Kurt F. J. Heinrich, editors, Proceedings of Workshop on Asbestos, Definitions...
- Talcum powder.
Verb
talc (third-person singular simple present talcs, present participle talcing, simple past and past participle 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."1940, Rubber Journal, volume 99, page 479
- Three manufacturers have now produced separate designs for talcing boxes; one uses conventional techniques of brushing and vibrators, one is a fluidised bed and the third is an electrostatic applicator.1977, Great Britain Health, Safety Executive, Manufacturing & Service Industries, page 43
talc meaning in Tamil, Kannada, Sanskrit and Tagalog
talc in Tamil
- மாக்கல், சீமைச் சுண்ணாம்புக்கல், டால்க், பட்டுக்கல், தலுக்கு
talc in Kannada
- ಕಾಗೆಬಂಗಾರ
talc in Sanskrit
- talc
- अमल amala
- talc, mica
- अभ्र abhrá
talc in Tagalog
- soft mineral
- talko
More languagesFewer languages
- talc in Indonesian
- talk
Examples of talc in a sentence
- For example, Montana talcs approximate the theoretical composition, while California talcs often contain calcite (CaCO₃) and dolomite (CaCO₃ • MgCO₃).1987, Joseph A. Radosta with Nikhil C. Trivedi, “Talc”, in H. S. Katz, J. V. Mileski, editors, Handbook of Fillers For Plastics, page 217:
- Micronized talcs and, to an even higher degree, submicrometer talcs significantly influence the processing parameters.2003, Harutun Karian, Handbook of Polypropylene and Polypropylene Composites, revised & expanded edition, page 573:
- Then he talced his hands, slipped on a new pair of rubber gloves, went to the shapeless thing at the other end of the table, and began to work.1983, Aaron Elkins, The Dark Place, published 2010, page 107:
Forms of talc
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | talcs |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | talcs |
| present participle | talcing |
| past participle | talced |
| past | talced |
Origin of talc
From Middle French talc, from Arabic طَلْق (ṭalq), from Persian تلک (talk), from Middle Persian [Term?] (“medicament”).
Words formed from talc
Words that rhyme with talc
Questions about talc
- What does talc mean?
- Talc means 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.
- What is talc in Tamil?
- Talc in Tamil is மாக்கல், சீமைச் சுண்ணாம்புக்கல், டால்க். See Talc meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use talc in a sentence?
- For example, Montana talcs approximate the theoretical composition, while California talcs often contain calcite (CaCO₃) and dolomite (CaCO₃ • MgCO₃).
- What part of speech is talc?
- Talc can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce talc?
- Talc is pronounced /tælk/.
- What is the plural of talc?
- The plural of talc is talcs.
Words near talc in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: talc (page history and authors); talc (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); talc (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); अभ्र (Sanskrit) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-talc.wav.
Cite this entry: “talc.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/talc. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.