noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/ˈtæləʊ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈtæloʊ/
rhymes with -æləʊ
CMU ARPABET:T AE1 L OW0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A hard animal fat obtained from suet, etc.; used in cooking as well as to make candles, soap and lubricants.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To grease or smear with tallow.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To cause to have a large quantity of tallow; to fatten.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
to tallow sheep
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
Of animals: to develop quantities of tallow.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
obtained from suet and used in making soap, candles and lubricants
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Middle English talow, talgh, from Old English *tealh, *tealg, (compare Old English tælg, telg (“dye”)), from Proto-West Germanic *talg, from Proto-Germanic *talgaz (compare Dutch talg, German Talg), from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“to flow”) (compare Middle Irish delt (“dew”), Old Armenian տեղ (teł, “heavy rain”)).
Across languages
Translations
84 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
ճարպ
(čarp)
— hard animal fat obtained
Armenian:
ճրագու
(čragu)
— hard animal fat obtained
Azerbaijani:
piy
— hard animal fat obtained
Basque:
gantz
— hard animal fat obtained
Basque:
koipe bilgor
— hard animal fat obtained
Basque:
ziho
— hard animal fat obtained
Belarusian:
са́ла
(sála)
— hard animal fat obtained
Bulgarian:
лой
(loj)
— hard animal fat obtained
Bulgarian:
сало
(salo)
— hard animal fat obtained
Catalan:
sèu
— hard animal fat obtained
Chinese Mandarin:
油脂
(yóuzhī)
— hard animal fat obtained
Chinese Mandarin:
牛脂
(niúzhī)
— hard animal fat obtained
Czech:
lůj
— hard animal fat obtained
Danish:
talg
— hard animal fat obtained
Dutch:
talg
— hard animal fat obtained
Esperanto:
sebo
— hard animal fat obtained
Estonian:
rasv
— hard animal fat obtained
Faroese:
tálg
— hard animal fat obtained
Finnish:
tali
— hard animal fat obtained
French:
suif
— hard animal fat obtained
Saterland Frisian:
Ungel
— hard animal fat obtained
Friulian:
sêf
— hard animal fat obtained
Friulian:
sêv
— hard animal fat obtained
Galician:
sebo
— hard animal fat obtained
German:
Talg
— hard animal fat obtained
German:
Rindertalg
— hard animal fat obtained
German:
Hammeltalg
— hard animal fat obtained
German:
Schöpsentalg
— hard animal fat obtained
Hebrew:
חֵלֶב
(ẖélev)
— hard animal fat obtained
Hittite:
𒍜𒀊𒁍𒊻𒍣
— hard animal fat obtained
Hungarian:
faggyú
— hard animal fat obtained
Icelandic:
tólg
— hard animal fat obtained
Italian:
sego
— hard animal fat obtained
Japanese:
獣脂
(jūshi)
— hard animal fat obtained
Japanese:
牛脂
(gyūshi)
— hard animal fat obtained
Japanese:
ヘット
(hetto)
— hard animal fat obtained
Korean:
수지
(suji)
— hard animal fat obtained
Central Kurdish:
پیو
(pîw)
— hard animal fat obtained
Southern Kurdish:
پیم
(pîm)
— hard animal fat obtained
Latin:
sēbum
— hard animal fat obtained
Lushootseed:
ʔudaw̓
— hard animal fat obtained
Macedonian:
лој
(loj)
— hard animal fat obtained
Māori:
hinu hipi
— hard animal fat obtained
Middle English:
talow
— hard animal fat obtained
Norwegian Bokmål:
talg
— hard animal fat obtained
Norwegian Nynorsk:
talg
— hard animal fat obtained
Old Norse:
tolg
— hard animal fat obtained
Persian:
پیه
— hard animal fat obtained
Polabian:
lüj
— hard animal fat obtained
Polish:
wytopiony łój
— hard animal fat obtained
Portuguese:
sebo
— hard animal fat obtained
Russian:
са́ло
(sálo)
— hard animal fat obtained
Serbo-Croatian:
ло̑ј
— hard animal fat obtained
Serbo-Croatian:
lȏj
— hard animal fat obtained
Sicilian:
sivu
— hard animal fat obtained
Slovak:
loj
— hard animal fat obtained
Slovene:
loj
— hard animal fat obtained
Lower Sorbian:
łoj
— hard animal fat obtained
Swedish:
talg
— hard animal fat obtained
Tajik:
пиҳ
(pih)
— hard animal fat obtained
Ukrainian:
са́ло
(sálo)
— hard animal fat obtained
Ukrainian:
лій
(lij)
— hard animal fat obtained
Venetan:
seo
— hard animal fat obtained
Venetan:
sef
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
lepin
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
pin
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
piun
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
pim
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
jipalepin
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
jipapin
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
bubalepin
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
bubapin
— hard animal fat obtained
Volapük:
kunapim
— hard animal fat obtained
Walloon:
shû
— hard animal fat obtained
Macedonian:
лои
(loi)
— to grease or smear with tallow
Middle English:
talowen
— to grease or smear with tallow
Polish:
smarować łojem
— to grease or smear with tallow
Polish:
posmarować łojem
— to grease or smear with tallow
Portuguese:
ensebar
— to grease or smear with tallow