silk
nounverbcommon in dialogue
- //sɪlk//
A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).
noun
- 1
A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).
We harvested a load of silk from the silkworm farm.
- 2
A thread or yarn made from silk fibers.
This is sewn from silk.
- 3
A fine, soft cloth woven from silk yarn or thread.
I'll buy a couple yards of silk.
It was flood-tide along Fifth Avenue; motor, brougham, and victoria swept by on the glittering current; pretty women glanced out from limousine and tonneau; young men of his own type, silk-hatted, frock-coated, the crooks of their walking sticks tucked up under their left arms, passed on the Park side.
- 4
A fine, soft cloth woven from silk yarn or thread. A pair of long silk sheets suspended in the air on which a performer performs tricks.
She's a master with the silks.
- 5
A fine, soft cloth woven from silk yarn or thread. A parachute.
- 6
An article of clothing made from silk cloth.
He's wearing his silk.
- 7
An article of clothing made from silk cloth. The garments worn by a jockey displaying the colors of the horse's owner.
- 8
An article of clothing made from silk cloth. The gown worn by a Senior (i.e., Queen's/King's) Counsel.
- 9
figurativeAn article of clothing made from silk cloth. The gown worn by a Senior (i.e., Queen's/King's) Counsel. A Queen's Counsel, King's Counsel or Senior Counsel.
- 10
Anything which resembles silk, such as the filiform styles of the female flower of maize or the seed covering of bombaxes.
Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety. She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.
Etymology
From Middle English silk, sylk, selk, selc, from Old English sioloc, seoloc, seolc (“silk”). The immediate source is uncertain; it probably reached English via the Baltic trade routes (cognates in Old Norse silki (> Danish silke, Swedish silke (“silk”)), Russian шёлк (šolk), obsolete Lithuanian zilkai̇̃), all ultimately from Late Latin sēricus, from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós), ultimately from an Oriental language (represented now by e.g. Chinese 絲 /丝 (sī, “silk”)). Displaced Old English sīde (“silk”). Compare Seres. Doublet of seric and serge.
verb
- 1
To develop silk.
- 2
To remove the silk from (corn).
While we shucked and silked the corn, we talked, sang old nursery rhymes […]
Forms
- plural
- silks
- past tense
- silked
- past participle
- silked
- present participle
- silking
- third person singular
- silks
silk · A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).
Silk · A surname originating as an occupation for a seller of silk.silly · Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish…silva · The forest trees of a particular area