sɪlk n. 1 a fine
strong soft lustrous
fibre produced by silkworms in
making cocoons. 2 a
similar fibre
spun by
some spiders etc. 3
thread or
cloth made from silk fibre. 4 (in pl.) kinds of silk cloth or garments made from
it,
esp. as
worn by a
jockey in a horse-owner's colours. 5
Brit. colloq. Queen's (or King's)
Counsel, as having
the right to wear a silk
gown. 6 (attrib.) made of silk (silk blouse). 7 the
silky styles of the
female maize-flower. øsilk
cotton kapok or a similar
substance. silk-fowl a
breed of
fowl with a silky
plumage. silk-gland a gland secreting the substance produced as silk. silk
hat a
tall cylindrical hat covered with silk
plush. silk
moth any of
various large moths of the
family Saturniidae, esp. Hyalophora cecropia. silk-screen
printing =
screen printing.
take silk Brit.
become a Queen's (or King's) Counsel. øøsilklike adj. [OE sioloc, seolec (cf. ON silki) f. LL sericum neut. of L sericus f. seres f. Gk Seres an
oriental people]
