English

Adjective

sallow ‎(comparative sallower, superlative sallowest)

1. (of skin) Yellowish.
   1. (most regions, of Caucasian skin) Of a sickly pale colour.
      • 1915, Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger, chapter II:

        Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. ¶ There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

   2. (Ireland) Of a tan colour, associated with people from southern Europe or East Asia.
      • 2007, David McWilliams, "We must begin the culture debate", 23 December:

        The girls are mostly Slavic-pretty, long-limbed with high cheekbones, sallow skin and green eyes. They are the closest thing to supermodels that Mulhuddart has ever seen.

      • 2012, Aisling, "Am I pink or yellow? How to choose the right foundation tone. And what is the deal with Mac foundations?" beaut.ie (17 January):

        A yellow undertone is often found on people with sallow skin – e.g. Asian.

      • 2012, Billy Keane, "I feel so much for Mickey. Maybe there is peace for him in sport", Irish Independent (13 June):

        She had such lovely sallow skin, the handsome high cheekbones of the north with the brown conker-colour eyes and the dark silken hair.

2. Dirty; murky.

Synonyms

• (sickly pale): See also Wikisaurus:pallid

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English salwe, from Old English sealh, from Proto-Germanic *salhaz, masculine variant of *salhō, *salhjōn (compare Low German Sal, Saal; Swedish sälg), from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂lk-, *sh₂lik- (compare Welsh helyg, Latin salix), probably originally a borrowing from some other language.

Noun

sallow ‎(plural sallows)

1. A European willow, Salix caprea, that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.
   • 1819, Keats, To Autumn:

     Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

     Among the river sallows, borne aloft

     Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

2. Willow twigs.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Fawkes

     Bend the pliant sallow to a shield.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Emerson

     The sallow knows the basketmaker's thumb.

Translations

Derived terms

• grey sallow (Salix cinerea)
• sallow flute

Anagrams

• allows