noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Powdered and perfumed talc for toilet use. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   a toilet powder made of purified talc and usually scented; absorbs excess moisture wordnet
3. 3
   a fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate; used in a variety of products including talcum powder wordnet

Verb

1. 1
   To perfume with talcum powder. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

alabasterasphaltbasecold creamcompactcosmetics

Example

More examples

"Some mothers still use talcum powder when they change their baby's diaper."

Etymology

From talc + -um, from Medieval Latin talcum, from Arabic طَلْق (ṭalq).

Related phrases

talcum powder

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.