silk

[ silk ]

noun

1. the soft, lustrous fiber obtained as a filament from the cocoon of the silkworm.
2. thread made from this fiber.
3. cloth made from this fiber.
4. a garment of this cloth.
5. a gown of such material worn distinctively by a King's or Queen's Counsel at the English bar.
6. silks, the blouse and peaked cap, considered together, worn by a jockey or sulky driver in a race.
7. Informal. a parachute, especially one opened aloft.
8. any fiber or filamentous matter resembling silk, as a filament produced by certain spiders, the thread of a mollusk, or the like.
9. the hairlike styles on an ear of corn.
10. British Informal.
    1. a King's or Queen's Counsel.
    2. any barrister of high rank.

adjective

1. made of silk.
2. resembling silk; silky.
3. of or relating to silk.

verb (used without object)

1. (of corn) to be in the course of developing silk.

silk

/ sɪlk /

noun

1. the very fine soft lustrous fibre produced by a silkworm to make its cocoon
2. 1. thread or fabric made from this fibre
   2. ( as modifier )

      a silk dress

3. a garment made of this
4. a very fine fibre produced by a spider to build its web, nest, or cocoon
5. the tuft of long fine styles on an ear of maize
6. 1. the gown worn by a Queen's (or King's) Counsel
   2. a Queen's (or King's) Counsel
   3. to become a Queen's (or King's) Counsel

verb

1. intr (of maize) to develop long hairlike styles

silk

/ sĭlk /

1. A fiber produced by silkworms to form cocoons. Silk is strong, flexible, and fibrous, and is essentially a long continuous strand of protein. It is widely used to make thread and fabric.
2. A substance similar to the silk of the silkworm but produced by other insect larvae or by spiders to spin webs.

Derived Forms

• ˈsilkˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• silklike adjective
• half-silk adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of silk¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun selk, seolk, solk, Old English sioloc, seol(o)c (cognate with Old Norse silki, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish silke, but not found in other Germanic languages), by uncertain transmission from Latin sērica, noun use of neuter plural adjective sēricus, or from Greek sērikón “silk,” noun use of neuter of sērikós “silken,” literally, “Chinese,” derivative of Latin Sēres, Greek Sêres “the Chinese”; Germanic, Slavic ( Old Church Slavonic shelkŭ, Russian shëlk ) and Baltic ( Lithuanian šilkai ) all show unexplained change of r to l ); seric-

Word History and Origins

Origin of silk¹

Old English sioluc; compare Old Norse silki, Greek sērikon, Korean sir; all ultimately from Chinese ssǔ silk

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit the silk, Slang. to parachute from an aircraft; bail out.
2. take silk, British. to become a Queen's or King's Counsel.

More idioms and phrases containing silk

see can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear ; smooth as silk .

Example Sentences

Between the pomp surrounding donning one’s holy livery, pointed glares and swishing red silks and velvets, these cassocked clergymen make bored teenagers seem kind.

From Salon

It has become fashionable for young people to dress up in Qing dynasty costumes although their long silk robes often fail to hide the other big trend – chunky white trainers.

From BBC

Rona wears the ’30s silk tank when a dreamy summer day morphs into first kisses at a nightclub — before benders and breakups.

From Los Angeles Times

The tradition has carried on ever since, though the silk has been consigned to history.

From BBC

Bragging that she’d mingled with Il Duce’s fascist forces, she tells her rapt students that on the occasion, “I wore my silk dress with red poppies, which is right for my coloring.”

From Salon

Related Words

• fiber
• taffeta
• thread
• tulle