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Webster 1913 Edition

Silver

Sil′ver

(sĭl′vẽr)
,
Noun.
[OE.
silver
,
selver
,
seolver
, AS.
seolfor
,
siolfur
,
siolufr
,
silofr
,
sylofr
; akin to OS.
silubar
, OFries.
selover
, D.
zilver
, LG.
sulver
, OHG.
silabar
,
silbar
, G.
silber
, Icel.
silfr
, Sw.
silfver
, Dan.
sölv
, Goth.
silubr
, Russ.
serebro
, Lith.
sidabras
; of unknown origin.]
1.
(Chem.)
A soft white metallic element, sonorous, ductile, very malleable, and capable of a high degree of polish. It is found native, and also combined with sulphur, arsenic, antimony, chlorine, etc., in the minerals argentite, proustite, pyrargyrite, ceragyrite, etc. Silver is one of the “noble” metals, so-called, not being easily oxidized, and is used for coin, jewelry, plate, and a great variety of articles. Symbol Ag (Argentum). Atomic weight 107.7. Specific gravity 10.5.
☞ Silver was known under the name of luna to the ancients and also to the alchemists. Some of its compounds, as the halogen salts, are remarkable for the effect of light upon them, and are used in photography.
2.
Coin made of silver; silver money.
3.
Anything having the luster or appearance of silver.
4.
The color of silver.
☞ Silver is used in the formation of many compounds of obvious meaning; as, silver-armed, silver-bright, silver-buskined, silver-coated, silver-footed, silver-haired, silver-headed, silver-mantled, silver-plated, silver-slippered, silver-sounding, silver-studded, silver-tongued, silver-white. See
Silver
,
Adj.
Black silver
(Min.)
,
stephanite; – called also
brittle silver ore
, or
brittle silver glance
.
–
Fulminating silver
.
(Chem.)
(a)
A black crystalline substance,
Ag2O.(NH3)2
, obtained by dissolving silver oxide in aqua ammonia. When dry it explodes violently on the slightest percussion.
(b)
Silver fulminate, a white crystalline substance,
Ag2C2N2O2
, obtained by adding alcohol to a solution of silver nitrate; – also called
fulminate of silver
. When dry it is violently explosive.
–
German silver
.
(Chem.)
See under
German
.
–
Gray silver
.
(Min.)
See
Freieslebenite
.
–
Horn silver
.
(Min.)
See
Cerargyrite
.
–
King’s silver
.
(O. Eng. Law)
See
Postfine
.
–
Red silver
, or
Ruby silver
.
(Min.)
See
Proustite
, and
Pyrargyrite
.
–
Silver beater
,
one who beats silver into silver leaf or silver foil.
–
Silver glance
, or
Vitreous silver
.
(Min.)
See
Argentine
.

Sil′ver

,
Adj.
1.
Of or pertaining to silver; made of silver;
as,
silver
leaf; a
silver
cup.
2.
Resembling silver.
Specifically:
(a)
Bright; resplendent; white.
“Silver hair.”
Shak.
Others, on
silver
lakes and rivers, bathed
Their downy breast.
Milton.
(b)
Precious; costly.
(c)
Giving a clear, ringing sound soft and clear.
“Silver voices.”
Spenser.
(d)
Sweet; gentle; peaceful.
“Silver slumber.”
Spenser.
American silver fir
(Bot.)
,
the balsam fir. See under
Balsam
.
–
Silver age
(Roman Lit.)
,
the latter part (
a. d.
14-180) of the classical period of Latinity, – the time of writers of inferior purity of language, as compared with those of the previous golden age, so-called.
–
Silver-bell tree
(Bot.)
,
an American shrub or small tree (
Halesia tetraptera
) with white bell-shaped flowers in clusters or racemes; the snowdrop tree.
–
Silver bush
(Bot.)
,
a shrubby leguminous plant (
Anthyllis Barba-Jovis
) of Southern Europe, having silvery foliage.
–
Silver chub
(Zool.)
,
the fallfish.
–
Silver eel
.
(Zool.)
(a)
The cutlass fish.
(b)
A pale variety of the common eel.
–
Silver fir
(Bot.)
,
a coniferous tree (
Abies pectinata
) found in mountainous districts in the middle and south of Europe, where it often grows to the height of 100 or 150 feet. It yields Burgundy pitch and Strasburg turpentine.
–
Silver foil
,
foil made of silver.
–
Silver fox
(Zool.)
,
a variety of the common fox (
Vulpes vulpes
, variety
argenteus
) found in the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and America. Its fur is nearly black, with silvery tips, and is highly valued. Called also
black fox
, and
silver-gray fox
.
–
Silver gar
.
(Zool.)
See
Billfish
(a)
.
–
Silver grain
(Bot.)
,
the lines or narrow plates of cellular tissue which pass from the pith to the bark of an exogenous stem; the medullary rays. In the wood of the oak they are much larger than in that of the beech, maple, pine, cherry, etc.
–
Silver grebe
(Zool.)
,
the red-throated diver. See Illust. under
Diver
.
–
Silver hake
(Zool.)
,
the American whiting.
–
Silver leaf
,
leaves or sheets made of silver beaten very thin.
–
Silver lunge
(Zool.)
,
the namaycush.
–
Silver moonfish
.
(Zool.)
See
Moonfish
(b)
.
–
Silver moth
(Zool.)
,
a lepisma.
–
Silver owl
(Zool.)
,
the barn owl.
–
Silver perch
(Zool.)
,
the mademoiselle, 2.
–
Silver pheasant
(Zool.)
,
any one of several species of beautiful crested and long-tailed Asiatic pheasants, of the genus
Euplocamus
. They have the tail and more or less of the upper parts silvery white. The most common species (
Euplocamus nychtemerus
) is native of China.
–
Silver plate
,
(a)
domestic utensils made of a base metal coated with silver.
(b)
a plating of silver on a base metal.
–
Silver plover
(Zool.)
,
the knot.
–
Silver salmon
(Zool.)
,
a salmon (
Oncorhynchus kisutch
) native of both coasts of the North Pacific. It ascends all the American rivers as far south as the Sacramento. Called also
kisutch
,
whitefish
, and
white salmon
.
–
Silver shell
(Zool.)
,
a marine bivalve of the genus Anomia. See
Anomia
.
–
Silver steel
,
an alloy of steel with a very small proportion of silver.
–
Silver stick
,
a title given to the title field officer of the Life Guards when on duty at the palace.
[Eng.]
Thackeray.
–
Silver tree
(Bot.)
,
a South African tree (
Leucadendron argenteum
) with long, silvery, silky leaves.
–
Silver trout
,
(Zool.)
See
Trout
.
–
Silver wedding
.
See under
Wedding
.
–
Silver whiting
(Zool.)
,
a marine sciaenoid food fish (
Menticirrus littoralis
) native of the Southern United States; – called also
surf whiting
.
–
Silver witch
(Zool.)
,
A lepisma.

Sil′ver

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Silvered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Silvering
.]
1.
To cover with silver; to give a silvery appearance to by applying a metal of a silvery color;
as, to
silver
a pin; to
silver
a glass mirror plate with an amalgam of tin and mercury.
2.
To polish like silver; to impart a brightness to, like that of silver.
And smiling calmness
silvered
o'er the deep.
Pope.
3.
To make hoary, or white, like silver.
His head was
silvered
o'er with age.
Gay.

Sil′ver

,
Verb.
I.
To acquire a silvery color.
[R.]
The eastern sky began to
silver
and shine.
L. Wallace.

Webster 1828 Edition

Silver

SIL'VER

,
Noun.
1.
A metal of a white color and lively brilliancy. It has neither taste nor smell; its specific gravity is 10.552, according to Bergman, but according to Kirwan it is less. A cubic foot weighs about 660 lbs. Its ductility is little inferior to that of gold. It is harder and more elastic that tin of iron. It is found native in thin plates or leaves, or in fine threads, or it is found mieralized by various substances. Great quanitities of the metal are furnished by the mines of South America, and it is found in small quantities in Norway, Germany, Spain, the United State, &c.
2.
Money; coin made of silver.
3.
Any thing of soft splendor. Pallas-piteous of her plaintive cries, In slumber clos'd her silver-streaming eyes.

SIL'VER

, a.
1.
Made of silver; as a silver cup.
2.
White like silver; as silver hair. Others on silver lakes and rivers bath'd Their downy breast.
3.
White, or pale; of a pale luster; as the silver moon.
4. SOft; as a silver voice or sound.

Definition 2024

Silver

Silver

See also: silver

English

Proper noun

Silver

  1. An English surname​ for a silversmith or a rich man, or for someone having silvery gray hair or living by a silvery brook.
  2. A surname​ anglicised from the German Jewish ornamental surname Silber.
  3. A male given name from the metal, or transferred from the surname.
    • 1993 Ed McBain, Mischief, William Morrow and Co., ISBN 0688102212, page 67:
      " - - - I'll level with you, Mr. Cummings."
      "Silver", he corrected.
      "Sounds like the Lone Ranger's horse," she said.
  4. A female given name from the metal.
    • 1993 Annie Proulx, Shipping News, Fourth Estate, ISBN 1857022424, page 121:
      "Silver here, my darling wife, insists on the services of a particular yacht upholsterer. - - - " From the way he said the woman's metal name Quayle thought it was changed from a stodgier "Alice" or "Bernice".

Anagrams

Estonian

Etymology

Contraction of Latin Silvester, cognate with English Sylvester.

Proper noun

Silver

  1. A male given name.

silver

silver

See also: Silver

English

Noun

silver ‎(countable and uncountable, plural silvers)

Chemical element
Ag Previous: palladium (Pd)
Next: cadmium (Cd)
  1. (uncountable) A lustrous, white, metallic element, atomic number 47, atomic weight 107.87, symbol Ag.
  2. (collectively) Coins made from silver or any similar white metal.
  3. (collectively) Cutlery and other eating utensils, whether silver or made from some other white metal.
  4. (collectively) Any items made from silver or any other white metal.
  5. (countable) A shiny gray color.
    silver colour:    

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

silver ‎(comparative more silver, superlative most silver)

Silver Roman artwork
  1. Made from silver.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 10, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.
    • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
      But Richmond […] appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw, peeping around the massive silver epergne that almost obscured him from her view, that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.
  2. Made from another white metal.
  3. Having a color like silver: a shiny gray.
  4. Denoting the twenty-fifth anniversary, especially of a wedding.
    • 1994, “Mate matching” in Accent on Living, v 38, n 4 (Spring), p 52:
      Mostly, these have been relationships of 10 or less years. However, one respondent has celebrated her silver wedding anniversary.
  5. (of commercial services) Premium, but inferior to gold.

Synonyms

  • (made from silver): silvern (archaic)
  • (having a color like silver): silvery

Related terms

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Verb

silver ‎(third-person singular simple present silvers, present participle silvering, simple past and past participle silvered)

  1. To acquire a silvery colour.
    • Lewis Wallace (1827-1905)
      The eastern sky began to silver and shine.
    • 1907, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “chapter VIII”, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 4241346:
      But when the moon rose and the breeze awakened, and the sedges stirred, and the cat's-paws raced across the moonlit ponds, and the far surf off Wonder Head intoned the hymn of the four winds, the trinity, earth and sky and water, became one thunderous symphony—a harmony of sound and colour silvered to a monochrome by the moon.
  2. To cover with silver, or with a silvery metal.
    to silver a pin;  to silver a glass mirror plate with an amalgam of tin and mercury‎
  3. To polish like silver; to impart a brightness to, like that of silver.
    • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
      And smiling calmness silvered o'er the deep.
  4. To make hoary, or white, like silver.
    • John Gay (1685-1732)
      His head was silvered o'er with age.

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: members · fortune · glass · #960: silver · winter · expect · nation

Anagrams

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch silver, from Proto-Germanic *silubrą.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈzɪlvər/

Noun

silver n

  1. silver

Descendants

Middle English

Noun

silver (plural silvers)

  1. silver (metal)

Descendants

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

  • sylver, sølver

Etymology

From Old Norse silfr, from Proto-Germanic *silubrą.

Noun

silver n

  1. silver

Declension

Descendants

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish silver, from Old Norse silfr, from Proto-Germanic *silubrą.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsɪlvɛr/

Noun

silver n ‎(uncountable)

  1. silver
  2. silver, coins of silver
  3. silver, cutlery of silver
  4. a silver medal, for 2nd place in a competition

Declension

Derived terms

References

Etymology

From Middle English silver, selver, sulver, from Old English seolfor, seolofor ‎(“silver”), from Proto-Germanic *silubrą ‎(“silver”), from Proto-Indo-European *silubʰr-, *silebʰr- ‎(“silver”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Selwer ‎(“silver”), West Frisian sulver ‎(“silver”), Dutch zilver ‎(“silver”), Low German Silver, Sülver ‎(“silver”), German Silber ‎(“silver”), Swedish silver ‎(“silver”), Icelandic silfur ‎(“silver”). The Germanic word has parallels in Baltic and Slavic (Old Church Slavonic сьрєбро ‎(sĭrebro), Lithuanian sidabras), Celtic (Celtiberian silaPur-), and outside Indo-European, in Basque (zilar, zilhar and further dialectal variants) and perhaps Berber (Tashelhit aẓrf), but the ultimate origin of the word is unknown. A Wanderwort of ultimately Semitic origin has been suggested (Akkadian [script needed] ‎(sarpu, “refined silver”), from the verb [script needed] ‎(sarapu, “to refine”)).

Adjective sense of twenty-fifth wedding anniversary generalized from silver wedding, from German Silberhochzeit, silberne Hochzeit.

Pronunciation

Similar Results