Definition of SALLOW

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Adjective

There is no hint of sickliness in the etymology of sallow. The word appears in Old English as salu or salo, and could mean "dusky" or "dark" or "grayish greenish yellow." Salu (or salo) is akin to Old English sōl ("dark, dirty"), Old High German salo ("murky, dirty gray"), Old Norse sölr ("dirty"), and even Sanskrit sāra or sāla, which carries the basic meaning of "dirty gray." Sallow, however, has for much of its history been used specifically to describe the skin or complexion of one who is unwell.

Examples of sallow in a Sentence

Adjective he was still a bit sallow after a week spent in bed with the flu

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Cancer transformed Wu from a baby-faced boy to a sallow wraith immobilized on a gurney. — Washington Post, "China has pain pill addicts too, but no one’s counting them," 31 Dec. 2019 Her cheeks were sunken, complexion sallow, her tiny frame emaciated and frail. — Washington Post, "Sold to China as a bride, she came home on brink of death," 12 Dec. 2019 Purple neutralizes sallow, yellow tones, while orange and red balance out blue and purple dark circles. — Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, "Erborian's CC Cream Cancels Out Redness Like Magic," 16 Oct. 2018 Chiffchaffs and willow warblers sing in the sallow and alder, while every leaf seems to hold a butterfly or dragonfly or hoverfly. — The Economist, "Brexit is reverberating in British literature," 5 July 2018 With hints of greens and blues beneath her sallow flesh, the girl looks sickly. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New England museums to visit this summer and fall," 4 July 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Silhouettes of large trees loomed out of a sallow gray haze. — Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, "A Trailblazing Plan to Fight California Wildfires," 19 Aug. 2019 Shortly before Easter in 1144, a young boy named William was found dead in the sallow grass of a heath near the lively center of Norwich, England. — John-paul Pagano, National Review, "Blood Libel: The Conspiracy Theory That Jews Are ‘Anti-Human’," 23 Sep. 2019 At death’s door, Grey’s saved by a complete artificial overhaul, including the smartbug critter invented by the tech genius with the sallow complexion (Harrison Gilbertson, on what might be termed a Jared Leto summer internship). — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Upgrade' review: Digital cockroaches replace human brains in this extremely gory thriller," 31 May 2018 Packer erases and etches into her father’s bare, sallow skin, making it worn and ravaged. — Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "At the Rose, taking tenderness to unexpected places," 25 Apr. 2018 The lavender shade in L'Oréal Paris Cosmetics Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit helps rid your skin of that not-so-cute sallow look. — Deanna Pai, Redbook, "6 Tiny Beauty Steps That Make All the Difference," 19 May 2017 Kahn dispensed with the classic library layout: a central reading room with rows of desks and sallow lamp light. — Sara Bliss, WSJ, "Why I Hated America’s Most Stunning Library—At First," 21 Sep. 2017 The lavender shade in L'Oréal Paris Cosmetics Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit helps rid your skin of that not-so-cute sallow look. — Deanna Pai, Redbook, "6 Tiny Beauty Steps That Make All the Difference," 19 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sallow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.