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sallow

 [sal-oh]   Example Sentences Origin

sal·low

1   [sal-oh] adjective, -er, -est, verb
adjective
1.
of a sickly, yellowish color: sallow cheeks; a sallow complexion.
verb (used with object)
2.
to make sallow.

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Sallow is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
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Origin:
before 1000; Middle English sal(o)we, Old English salo; cognate with Old Norse sǫlr yellow; compare French sale dirty (< Gmc)

Related forms
sal·low·ish, adjective
sal·low·ness, noun

Synonyms
1. bilious, jaundiced.

Example Sentences
  • The bartender, a sallow giant with a mustache, plays chess between serving espressos and sugar-sweetened snacks.
  • His features are pinched and drawn, his complexion sallow.
  • For some occult reason, it gives my sallow skin a real energy boost and my spirits a lift.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

sal·low

2   [sal-oh]
noun British.
any of several shrubby Old World willows, especially Salix atrocinerea or the pussy willow, S. caprea.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English sealh; cognate with Old High German salaha, Latin salix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To sallow
Collins
World English Dictionary
sallow1 (ˈsæləʊ)
 
—adj
1.  (esp of human skin) of an unhealthy pale or yellowish colour
 
—vb
2.  (tr) to make sallow
 
[Old English salu; related to Old Norse sol seaweed (Icelandic sōlr yellowish), Old High German salo, French sale dirty]
 
'sallowish1
 
—adj
 
'sallowly1
 
—adv
 
'sallowness1
 
—n

sallow2 (ˈsæləʊ)
 
—n
1.  any of several small willow trees, esp the Eurasian Salix cinerea (common sallow), which has large catkins that appear before the leaves
2.  a twig or the wood of any of these trees
 
[Old English sealh; related to Old Norse selja, Old High German salaha, Middle Low German salwīde, Latin salix]
 
'sallowy2
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sallow
O.E. salo "dusky, dark" (related to sol "dark, dirty"), from P.Gmc. *salwa- (cf. M.Du. salu "discolored, dirty," O.H.G. salo "dirty gray," O.N. sölr "dirty yellow"), from PIE base *sal- "dirty, gray" (cf. O.C.S. slavojocije "grayish-blue color," Rus. solovoj "cream-colored").
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sallow
"shrubby willow plant," O.E. sealh (Anglian salh), from P.Gmc. *salhjon (cf. O.N. selja, O.H.G. salaha, and first element in Ger. compound Salweide), fro PIE *sal(i)k- "willow" (cf. L. salix "willow," M.Ir. sail, Welsh helygen, Breton halegen "willow"). Fr. saule "willow" is from Frank. salha, from the
Gmc. root. Used in Palm Sunday processions and decorations in England before the importing of real palm leaves began.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

sallow sal·low (sāl'ō)
adj. sal·low·er, sal·low·est
Of a sickly yellowish hue or complexion. v. sal·lowed, sal·low·ing, sal·lows
To make sallow.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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