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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

marshmallow.

Marsh mallow, a species of mallow, Althaea officinalis, that grows in marshy terrain.

11 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/mɑːʃˈmæləʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmɑɹʃˌmɛl.oʊ/US/ˈmɑɹʃˌmæl.oʊ/US
  1. Marsh mallow, a species of mallow, Althaea officinalis, that grows in marshy terrain.

    countable · uncountable
  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 presoftened in water, gum arabic, flavorings, and sometimes beaten egg whites, all whipped to a spongy consistency.

    countable · uncountable
  3. Someone who is soft and benign.

    countable · figuratively · uncountable
    He acts like a total badass, but he's really just a marshmallow once you get to know him.
Where this word comes from

From Old English mersċmealwe, corresponding to marsh + mallow.

verb/mɑːʃˈmæləʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmɑɹʃˌmɛl.oʊ/US/ˈmɑɹʃˌmæl.oʊ/US
  1. To soften (literally or figuratively).

    intransitive · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Old English mersċmealwe, corresponding to marsh + mallow.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.