sallow

¹

[sal-oh]

adjective

sallower, sallowest 

1. of a sickly, yellowish or lightish brown color.

   sallow cheeks; a sallow complexion.

   Synonyms: jaundiced, bilious

verb (used with object)

1. to make sallow.

sallow

²

[sal-oh]

noun

British.

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

sallow

¹

/ ˈsæləʊ /

adjective

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

verb

1. (tr) to make sallow

sallow

²

/ ˈsæləʊ /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• sallowish adjective
• sallowness noun
• sallowly adverb
• sallowy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sallow¹

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

Origin of sallow²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sallow¹

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

Origin of sallow²

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

Example Sentences

Penelope adjusted her hat to cover as much of her hair as possible, for she knew the dark hair made her face look sallow by comparison.

Read more on Literature

On her best days, she was sallow, but this evening she wasn’t as pea-green as her dress.

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The video then shows still pictures of a young woman of similar appearance lying, looking sallow and with her eyes closed, on a blood-stained bedsheet.

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His skin is sallow, marked with age spots.

Read more on New York Times

The canvas, 5 feet square, imposes the sentiment in a stack of crisp white words over snow-covered mountain scenery, the sky a sallow yellow fading upward into bilious green.

Read more on Los Angeles Times