sallow: [OE] English has two distinct words sallow. The adjective goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *salwa-, which was also borrowed into French as sale ‘dirty’. The underlying meaning appears to be ‘dark-coloured’. Its only surviving relative among the mainstream Germanic languages is Icelandic sölr ‘yellow’. Sallow ‘willow’ comes from a prehistoric Germanic *salkhaz, which also produced French saule ‘willow’ and was distantly related to Latin salix ‘willow’.
sallow (n.)
"shrubby willow plant," Old English sealh (Anglian salh), from Proto-Germanic *salhjon (cognates: Old Norse selja, Old High German salaha, and first element in German compound Salweide), from PIE *sal(i)k- "willow" (cognates: Latin salix "willow," Middle Irish sail, Welsh helygen, Breton halegen "willow"). French saule "willow" is from Frankish salha, from the Germanic root. Used in Palm Sunday processions and decorations in England before the importing of real palm leaves began.
sallow (adj.)
Old English salo "dusky, dark" (related to sol "dark, dirty"), from Proto-Germanic *salwa- (cognates: Middle Dutch salu "discolored, dirty," Old High German salo "dirty gray," Old Norse sölr "dirty yellow"), from PIE root *sal- (2) "dirty, gray" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic slavojocije "grayish-blue color," Russian solovoj "cream-colored"). Related: Sallowness.
双语例句
1. Her sallow skin was drawn tightly across the bones of her face.
她那蜡黄的皮肤紧紧地包着脸上的骨头。
来自柯林斯例句
2. His face was sallow and shiny with sweat.
他脸色蜡黄,汗珠津津。
来自柯林斯例句
3. She had lank hair and sallow skin.
她头发平直,皮肤发黄。
来自柯林斯例句
4. There was a dark oily gleam in his sallow face.