talcum powder

American  

[tal-kuhm] / ˈtæl kəm /

noun

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

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talcum powder British  

/ ˈtælkəm /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of talcum powder

1885–90; < Medieval Latin talcum talc

Example Sentences

He also won a $4.69 billion verdict in 2018 for women and their families who said asbestos-tainted talcum powder caused ovarian cancer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

To visualize microscopic asbestos fibers in talcum powder, he brought a bale of hay into a courtroom and dropped a needle into the blades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 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

Packed in my picnic basket beside my chair, Banana Cake joined me while watching sunsets on some of the most beautiful, sugar white, talcum powder soft beaches in the world.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2025

We pulled the first job that night—the place of the old man who hired Rudy to sprinkle him with talcum powder.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey