silk

[ silk ]

/ sɪlk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR silk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the soft, lustrous fiber obtained as a filament from the cocoon of the silkworm.

thread made from this fiber.

cloth made from this fiber.

a garment of this cloth.

a gown of such material worn distinctively by a King's or Queen's Counsel at the English bar.

silks, the blouse and peaked cap, considered together, worn by a jockey or sulky driver in a race.

Informal. a parachute, especially one opened aloft.

any fiber or filamentous matter resembling silk, as a filament produced by certain spiders, the thread of a mollusk, or the like.

the hairlike styles on an ear of corn.

British Informal.

a King's or Queen's Counsel.
any barrister of high rank.

adjective

made of silk.

resembling silk; silky.

of or relating to silk.

verb (used without object)

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

Idioms for silk

hit the silk, Slang. to parachute from an aircraft; bail out.

take silk, British. to become a Queen's or King's Counsel.

Origin of silk

before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English sioloc, seol(o)c (cognate with Old Norse silki), by uncertain transmission < Greek sērikón silk, noun use of neuter of sērikós silken, literally, Chinese, derivative of Sêres the Chinese (Russian shëlk, OPruss silkas (genitive) “silk” appear to be < Gmc); cf. seric-

OTHER WORDS FROM silk

silk·like, adjective half-silk, adjective

Words nearby silk

siliculose cataract, siliqua, silique, siliquose, siliquose cataract, silk, silk cotton, silk gland, silk hat, silk oak, silk paper

Example sentences from the Web for silk

Sometimes I wear my silk pyjamas when I am going for a walk in the mornings, does that make me eccentric?

The Death of the English Eccentric |Tom Sykes |November 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Behind their silk hats loom shadows of their immigrant forbears.

The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians |Anthony Haden-Guest |November 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Waving a silk cloth, he declared, “Gentlemen, I will have this land just as surely as I now have this handkerchief.”

Washington’s Wheeler-Dealer Patriotism |William O’Connor |October 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
When detectives raided her store and found the silk in her possession, they arrested her.

Meet 'The Queen of Thieves' Marm Mandelbaum, New York City's First Mob Boss |J. North Conway |September 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Another bold piece of color is a simple red dress made of silk gauze worn by one Monica Maurice for her wedding to Arthur Jackson.

Here Comes the Bride…In Flaming Red: Two Centuries of Colorful Wedding Dresses |Liza Foreman |May 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Singleton had brought out something rolled in a scarf of Roman silk.

The Messenger |Elizabeth Robins
One had to be close to Blome to see the silk, the velvet, the gold, the fine leather.

The Rustlers of Pecos County |Zane Grey
Some are embroidered in silk, in silver, or in gold; some are plain.

The Soul of a People |H. Fielding
The silk shops are the finest in the bazaar, but their contents are excessively dear, and are not very good.

The Catholic World. Volume II; Numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. |E. Rameur
The silk curtain which covered the niche was hitched upon some ornamental moulding, and hung down in picturesque folds.

Tales From Jkai |Mr Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for silk

silk

/ (sɪlk) /

noun

the very fine soft lustrous fibre produced by a silkworm to make its cocoon

thread or fabric made from this fibre
(as modifier)a silk dress

a garment made of this

a very fine fibre produced by a spider to build its web, nest, or cocoon

the tuft of long fine styles on an ear of maize

British

the gown worn by a Queen's (or King's) Counsel
informal a Queen's (or King's) Counsel
take silk to become a Queen's (or King's) Counsel

verb

(intr) US and Canadian (of maize) to develop long hairlike styles

Derived forms of silk

silklike, adjective

Word Origin for silk

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

Scientific definitions for silk

silk

[ sĭlk ]

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.

A substance similar to the silk of the silkworm but produced by other insect larvae or by spiders to spin webs.

Idioms and Phrases with silk

silk

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

silk