marshmallow

See also: Marshmallow

English

a marshmallow flower
Althaea officinalis

Marshmallows (confection).

Alternative forms

• marsh mallow, marsh-mallow

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English merscmealwe, corresponding to marsh +‎ mallow.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑːʃˈmæləʊ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹʃˌmɛl.oʊ/, /ˈmɑɹʃˌmæl.oʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æləʊ

Noun

marshmallow (plural marshmallows)

1. A species of mallow, Althaea officinalis, that grows in marshy terrain. [from 9th c.]
   • 1653, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, Folio Society 2007, page 180:

     Our common Marsh Mallows have diverse soft, hoary white stalks rising to be three or four foot high, spreading forth many branches.

2. A type of confectionery, originally (since Ancient Egyptian times) made from this plant, but now generally made of sugar or corn syrup, gelatin that has been pre-softened in water, gum arabic, flavorings, and sometimes beaten egg whites, all whipped to a spongy consistency. [from 19th c.]
   • (Can we date this quote?) Love, Life and Work:

     The Disagreeable Girl is a female of the genus homo persuasion, built around a digestive apparatus that possesses marked marshmallow proclivities.

   • (Can we date this quote?) PH Wodehouse, A Wodehouse Miscellany:

     It was an apple marshmallow sundae, I recollect. I dug my spoon into it with an assumption of gaiety which I was far from feeling.

3. (figuratively) Someone who is soft and benign.

   He acts like a total badass, but he's really just a marshmallow once you get to know him.

Descendants

Descendants of marshmallow in other languages

• Dutch: marshmallow
• French: marshmallow
• German: Marshmallow
• Japanese: マシュマロ (mashumaro)

• Korean: 마시멜로 (masimello)
• Portuguese: marshmallow
• Russian: маршмэ́ллоу (maršmɛ́llou)

Translations

plant

• Afrikaans: malvalekker
• Albanian: alte
• Arabic: غَاسُول m (ḡāsūl)
• Azerbaijani: əməkömənçi
• Bulgarian: лечебна ружа f (lečebna ruža)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 藥用蜀葵／药用蜀葵, 药用蜀葵 (yàoyòngshǔkuí)

• Chuvash: шӑпӑр курӑкӗ (šăp̬ăr k̬urăk̬ĕ)
• Czech: proskurník lékařský m
• Danish: skumfidus c
• Dutch: heemst (nl)
• Finnish: rohtosalkoruusu (fi)
• French: guimauve (fr) f
• German: Eibisch (de) m
• Greek: αλθαία (el) f (althaía), νερομολόχα (el) f (neromolócha), δενδρομολόχα f (dendromolócha)
• Hebrew: נטופית רפואית (netofit refuit)
• Hungarian: orvosi ziliz
• Ido: malvavisko (io)
• Irish: leamhachán m
• Italian: altea f
• Japanese: ビロードアオイ (birōdoaoi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 마시멜로 (masimello)
• Latin: malva f
• Old English: merscmealwe, hoc
• Persian: گل خطمی
• Polish: prawoślaz lekarski (pl) m
• Portuguese: alteia (pt) f, malvavisco m, malvaísco (pt) m
• Romanian: nalbă (ro)
• Russian: алте́й лека́рственный m (altéj lekárstvennyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бели слез m, бијели сљез m

  Roman: beli slez m, bijeli sljez m

• Slovak: ibištek
• Spanish: malvavisco (es) m
• Swedish: läkemalva c
• Tagalog: halaman ng masmelow
• Tamil: மார்ஷ்மெல்லோ (mārṣmellō)
• Thai: มาร์ชแมลโลว์ (máach-mɛn-lôo)
• Turkish: hatmi (tr)
• Ukrainian: зефір m (zefir)
• Upper Sorbian: lěkarska popla f
• Vietnamese: kẹo dẻo
• Walloon: måvlete (wa) f

confectionery

• Afrikaans: malvalekker, marshmallow
• Albanian: alte
• Arabic: الخطمي (alkhatmi)
• Armenian: մարշմելոու (maršmelou)
• Azerbaijani: zefir
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 棉花糖 (min⁴ faa¹ tong^4-2)

  Mandarin: 軟糖／软糖 (zh) (ruǎntáng), 软糖 (zh) (ruǎntáng), 果醬軟糖／果酱软糖, 果酱软糖 (guǒjiàng ruǎntáng), 棉花糖 (zh) (miánhuā táng)

• Danish: skumfidus n, marshmallow c
• Dutch: marshmallow (nl)
• Faroese: skúmgæti n
• Finnish: vaahtokarkki (fi)
• French: guimauve (fr) f, marshmallow (fr) m, chamallow (fr) m
• German: Mäusespeck (de) m, Marshmallow (de) n
• Hebrew: מרשמלו
• Hungarian: mályvacukor (hu), pillecukor (hu)
• Icelandic: sykurpúði m
• Italian: marshmallow (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: マシュマロ (mashumaro)
• Korean: 마시멜로 (masimello)
• Latin: pasta hibisci
• Marathi: मार्शमेलो m (mārśamelo)
• Mongolian: хөөсөнцөр чихрийн (xöösöncör čixriin), зефир (mn) (zefir)
• Norwegian: marshmallow
• Old English: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: گل ختمی
• Polish: pianka (pl) f
• Portuguese: marshmallow m
• Romanian: bezea (ro) f
• Russian: зефи́р (ru) m (zefír), маршмэ́ллоу (ru) n (maršmɛ́llou)
• Somali: marshmallow
• Spanish: malvavisco (es) m, (Venezuela) carlotina f, (Costa Rica) marsmelo m, (Chile) sustancia (es) f, (Mexico) bombón (es) m, espumilla f, nubes (es) f pl
• Swedish: marshmallow
• Thai: มาร์ชแมลโลว์ (máach-mɛn-lôo)
• Turkish: lokuma benzer şekerleme, pamuk lokum
• Zulu: iwebhece

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English marshmallow.

Noun

marshmallow m (plural s)

1. marshmallow (pre-softened confectionery made with sugar, corn syrup, egg whites and gelatin)

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Spanish

Noun

marshmallow m (plural marshmallows)

1. marshmallow