talc
Americannoun
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Also talcum a green-to-gray, soft mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, Mg 3 (Si 4 O10 )(OH) 2 , unctuous to the touch, and occurring usually in foliated or compact masses, used in making lubricants, talcum powder, electrical insulation, etc.
verb (used with object)
noun
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See talcum powder
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a white, grey, brown, or pale green mineral, found in metamorphic rocks. It is used in the manufacture of talcum powder and electrical insulators. Composition: hydrated magnesium silicate. Formula: Mg 3 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 . Crystal structure: monoclinic
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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talcsimple
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talcssimple
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have talcedperfect
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have talckedperfect
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has talcedperfect
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has talckedperfect
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am talcingprogressive
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am talckingprogressive
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are talcingprogressive
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are talckingprogressive
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is talcingprogressive
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is talckingprogressive
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have been talcingperfect progressive
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have been talckingperfect progressive
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has been talcingperfect progressive
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has been talckingperfect progressive
Past
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talcedsimple
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talckedsimple
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had talcedperfect
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had talckedperfect
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was talcingprogressive
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was talckingprogressive
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were talcingprogressive
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were talckingprogressive
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had been talcingperfect progressive
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had been talckingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of talc
1595–1605; < Medieval Latin talcum < Arabic ṭalq mica < Persian talk
Vocabulary lists containing 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.
See Examples For:
She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2024 after using talc for decades.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
Lefevres says, following scientific analysis of cosmetic talc products, the memo recommended minimising the use of tremolite until substantial evidence showed it had no adverse effects.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
Johnson & Johnson has faced thousands of lawsuits linking its talc baby powder to cancer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
Johnson & Johnson retained responsibility for talc litigation in the two countries after the spinoff, but Kenvue is responsible for talc litigation elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025
He is comforted by the talc smell of her housedresses mixed with the sunbaked smell of her skin, the perfumy smell of her party dresses.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
After receiving inquiries from Reuters, the ACS in early December revised its website to remove the assurance that cosmetic talcs are free of asbestos.
From Reuters ● Dec. 14, 2018
Food and Drug Administration was considering a limit on asbestos in talcs.
From Reuters ● Dec. 14, 2018
Wide-shouldered, hairy-chested William Nassaur, whose Courtley, Ltd. shaving soaps, lotions, talcs, and bubble baths had already deodorized and sweetened thousands of U.S. males, got set last week to waft his perfume worldwide.
From Time Magazine Archive
Then the three brothers took, each of them, a princess with him on his horse, and they all rode together back to the old King, telling talcs and singing songs as they went.
From Old Peter's Russian Tales by Mitrokhin, Dmitri
"How can you ask that? What do you imagine I'm doing? I am talcing care of your brother. I am taking care of Bran."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
