talcum powder

American

[tal-kuhm] / ˈtæl kəm /

noun

a powder made of purified, usually perfumed talc, for toilet purposes.

talcum powder British

/ ˈtælkəm /

noun

Often shortened to: talc. a powder made of purified talc, usually scented, used for perfuming the body and for absorbing excess moisture

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of talcum powder

1885–90; < Medieval Latin talcum talc

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A welcome exception came last Thursday when federal magistrate judge Rukhsanah Singh disqualified Beasley Allen from representing plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation against Johnson & Johnson claiming injuries from talcum powder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

A group of Scottish women have launched legal action against Johnson & Johnson accusing the firm of selling them talcum powder contaminated with asbestos.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Also on the horizon are the thousands of ongoing lawsuits related to Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

He said it was the same size as either a human blood cell, mould spores, bacteria, talcum powder and a fog droplet.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

I help her wash away the caked shit and she lets me shake talcum powder on the twins’ raw sore skin.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023