sallow

[ sal-oh ]

See synonyms for: sallow sallows sallowness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,sal·low·er, sal·low·est.

of a sickly, yellowish or lightish brown color: sallow cheeks; a sallow complexion.

verb (used with object)

to make sallow.

Origin of sallow

First recorded before 1000; Middle English sal(o)we, Old English salo; cognate with Old Norse sǫlr “yellow”; compare French sale “dirty” (from Germanic )

Other words for sallow

1	bilious, jaundiced

See synonyms for sallow on Thesaurus.com

Other words from sallow

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

Words Nearby sallow

Other definitions for sallow (2 of 2)

sallow²

[ sal-oh ]

nounBritish.

any of several shrubby Old World willows, especially Salix atrocinerea or the pussy willow, S. caprea.

Origin of sallow

before 900; Middle English; Old English sealh; cognate with Old High German salaha,Latin salix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sallow in a sentence

Lincoln would endure bout after bout of the hypos, until a permanent sadness settled onto his sallow face.
Making Lincoln Sexy: Jerome Charyn’s Fictional President | Tom LeClair | March 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Junkies have their own look (emaciated, haunted, sallow) and their own junk names: Doolie, Cash, and Dupré.
American Dreams, 1953: ‘Junky’ by William S. Burroughs | Nathaniel Rich | June 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
This John is sickly and sallow, his body lacking plasticity.
Caravaggio's Grand Passions | Adam Eaker | June 11, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Again the sallow fingers began to play with the book-covers, passing from one to another, but always slowly and gently.
Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
Now and then he touched one with his long and sallow fingers, lifted its cover, then let it drop mechanically.
Bella Donna | Robert Hichens

After a few minutes he returned, and then his sallow countenance wore a smile.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
She patted the sallow cheek of the American with her jewelled fingers, and turned aside, glancing about her.
Dope | Sax Rohmer
Then, the sallow, black-haired knave who had last night proclaimed himself as Garnache in disguise was some impostor.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for sallow (1 of 2)

sallow¹

/ (ˈsæləʊ) /

adjective

(esp of human skin) of an unhealthy pale or yellowish colour

verb

(tr) to make sallow

Origin of sallow

Old English salu; related to Old Norse sol seaweed (Icelandic sōlr yellowish), Old High German salo, French sale dirty

Derived forms of sallow

sallowish, adjective
sallowly, adverb
sallowness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for sallow (2 of 2)

sallow²

/ (ˈsæləʊ) /

noun

any of several small willow trees, esp the Eurasian Salix cinerea (common sallow), which has large catkins that appear before the leaves
a twig or the wood of any of these trees

Origin of sallow

Old English sealh; related to Old Norse selja, Old High German salaha, Middle Low German salwīde, Latin salix

Derived forms of sallow

sallowy, adjective

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

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