oil of talc

noun

A nostrum made of calcined talc, famous in the 17th century as a cosmetic.

“That for the oil of Talc, dare spend / More than citizens dare lend / Them, or all their officers - Ben Jonson, To Sickness”

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Meanings

nounoil of talc (uncountable)
  1. obsoleteuncountableA nostrum made of calcined talc, famous in the 17th century as a cosmetic.

    That for the oil of Talc, dare spend / More than citizens dare lend / Them, or all their officers - Ben Jonson, To Sickness

Cite this entry
APA

oil of talc. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20of%20talc

MLA

“oil of talc.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20of%20talc. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oil of talc,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20of%20talc.

Source: oil of talc on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.