wild silk

noun

1. tussah.
2. British. raw silk.

wild silk

noun

1. silk produced by wild silkworms
2. a fabric made from this, or from short fibres of silk designed to imitate it

Word History and Origins

Origin of wild silk¹

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Example Sentences

The name is also applied to a variety of dress goods woven with a wild silk warp and a fine worsted weft.

From Project Gutenberg

Another suggestion is that the word is a corruption of pun-shih, a native or wild silk.

From Project Gutenberg

Still, the wild silk made by the moths of India is not carefully grown.

From Project Gutenberg