Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tallow” come from?

Tallow derives from Middle English talwe, Old English tealh, Proto-Germanic talgaz, and Proto-Indo-European del-, a root meaning to split or divide.

tallow (English): A hard animal fat obtained from suet, etc.; used...

Definitions

  1. A hard animal fat obtained from suet, etc.; used...

Ancestry of “tallow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtalow—
2Old Englishtealh—
3Proto-Germanictalgaztallow
4Proto-Indo-Europeandel-to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,...

Words derived from “tallow”

  • tallowy
  • tallowing
  • tallowiness
  • tallowwood
  • tallowish
  • tallower
  • sodium tallowate
  • tallowless
  • betallow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European del- →