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silk
[silk]
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.
silk
/ ɪ /
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
the gown worn by a Queen's (or King's) Counsel
informala Queen's (or King's) Counsel
to become a Queen's (or King's) Counsel
verb
(intr) (of maize) to develop long hairlike styles
silk
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.
Other Word Forms
- silklike adjective
- half-silk adjective
- ˈˌ adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of silk1
Word History and Origins
Origin of silk1
Idioms and Phrases
take silk, to become a Queen's or King's Counsel.
hit the silk, to parachute from an aircraft; bail out.
Example Sentences
Hours were marked by peals of screams following every uncovered worm wriggling in the corn silks, and each of us proudly showing off our inky fingertips from pressing out purple hull peas from their pods.
Steinfeld, 28, wore a silk strapless gown paired with sheer opera gloves and a long veil attached to her top knot.
In another sitting room, a silk chair that somehow looked both new and old, strewn with patches of different upholstery fabric.
Another striking section showcases artefacts collected by Parsis who grew wealthy in the early 19th century trading tea, silk, cotton - and notably, opium - with China.
In a central square, they're greeted ecstatically by musicians and dancers in embroidered silk shirts.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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