An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Talg

by Friedrich Kluge

Talg, masculine, ‘tallow,’ Modern High German only, from Low German (talg), hence unknown to Swabian and Bavarian; allied to Dutch talk, Anglo-Saxon *tealg, English tallow, Old Icelandic tolgr. Teutonic talgo- (tolgo-) cannot be traced farther back; yet note Anglo-Saxon tœlg, ‘colour’ (see Seife). It is scarcely connected with Gothic tulgus, ‘firm’ (Talg, literally ‘that which has become solid’?). The proper High German (Upper German) word is Unschlitt.