tallow tree


noun
  1. a small tree, Sapium sebiferum, of the spurge family, cultivated in China and the tropics, having popcorn-shaped seeds with a waxy coating that is used for soap, candles, and oil.

Origin of tallow tree

1
First recorded in 1695–1705

Words Nearby tallow tree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tallow tree in a sentence

  • The Chinese make their candles from the tallow obtained from the seeds and capsules of the tallow-tree.

  • Such is the case with the natural order Euphorbiaceæ, or spurge family, to which the tallow-tree of China belongs.

  • The seeds of the "tallow tree" yield an oil (stillingia oil) having drying properties.

  • Among the exotics we observed the Australian gum-tree and the Chinese tallow-tree, large and thrifty in both instances.

    Due West | Maturin Murray Ballou
  • Of equal value and more curious is the tallow-tree, which lights the whole of the empire.

    The War Tiger | Wiliam Dalton