talc en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /tælk/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle French talc, from Arabic طَلْق (ṭalq), from Persian تلک (talk), from Middle Persian [Term?] (“medicament”).
Meanings
- (countable, obsolete, uncountable) 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.
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) 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: an Account of the Various Species and Singular Properties of the Hydræ and Vorticellæ: a Description of Three Hundred and Seventy-nine Animalcula; with a Concise Catalogue of Interesting Objects: a View of the Organization of Timber, and the Configuration of Salts when under the Microscope, London: Printed for the author, by Robert Hindmarsh, Printer to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, No. 32, Clerkenwell-Close; and sold by the author, at his Shop, Tycho Brahe's Head, No. 60, Fleet-Street, →OCLC, page 7:
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(countable, uncountable) 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.
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: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 and Measurement Methods, page 406: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: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:
- (countable, uncountable) Talcum powder.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| talcs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
talcoid · talc operation · talcous · talclike · Venice talc · Talcville · talcomicaceous · talc poudrage · talcite · talcosis · oil of talc
Translations (31)
hu zsírkő (soft mineral) · pl talk (soft mineral) · it talco (soft mineral) · fr talc (soft mineral) · ca talc (soft mineral) · pms talch (soft mineral) · de Talk (soft mineral) · cs mastek (soft mineral) · cs klouzek (soft mineral) · ga talc (soft mineral) · ja 滑石 (soft mineral) · ja タルク (soft mineral) · cs talek (soft mineral) · es talco (soft mineral) · rm talc (soft mineral) · grc κουφολίθος (soft mineral) · ru тальк (soft mineral) · fi talkki (soft mineral) · bg талк (soft mineral) · id talk (soft mineral) · fo tálk (soft mineral) · bg стеатит (soft mineral) · fur talc (soft mineral) · cmn 滑石 (soft mineral) · tl talko (soft mineral) · cy talc (soft mineral) · la talcum (soft mineral) · el τάλκης (soft mineral) · ko 활석 (soft mineral) · pt talco (soft mineral) · eo talko (soft mineral)