Hypertext Webster Gateway: "talc"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Talc \Talc\, n. [F. talc; cf. Sp. & It. talco, LL. talcus; all
fr. Ar. talq.] (Min.)
A soft mineral of a soapy feel and a greenish, whitish, or
grayish color, usually occurring in foliated masses. It is
hydrous silicate of magnesia. {Steatite}, or {soapstone}, is
a compact granular variety.
{Indurated talc}, an impure, slaty talc, with a nearly
compact texture, and greater hardness than common talc; --
called also {talc slate}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
talc
n : a fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and
consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate; used in a
variety of products including talcum powder [syn: {talcum}]
v : apply talcum powder to (one's body)
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.