silver

¹ American  

[sil-ver] / ˈsɪl vər /

noun

1. Chemistry. a white, ductile metallic element, used for making mirrors, coins, ornaments, table utensils, photographic chemicals, conductors, etc. Ag; 107.870; 47; 10.5 at 20°C.

2. coin made of this metal; specie; money.

   a handful of silver.

3. this metal as a commodity or considered as a currency standard.

4. table articles made of or plated with silver, including flatware and hollowware.

5. any flatware.

   The kitchen silver is of stainless steel.

6. something resembling this metal in color, luster, etc.

7. a lustrous grayish white or whitish gray, or the color of the metal.

   the silver of the leaves.

8. any of the silver halides used for photographic purposes, as silver bromide, silver chloride, or silver iodide.

9. silver medal.

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adjective

1. consisting of, made of, or plated with silver.

2. of or relating to silver.

3. producing or yielding silver.

4. resembling silver; silvery.

   the silver moon.

5. clear and soft.

   silver sounds.

6. eloquent; persuasive.

   a silver tongue.

7. urging the use of silver as a currency standard.

   silver economists.

8. indicating the twenty-fifth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

9. having the color silver.

   a silver dress.

verb (used with object)

1. to coat with silver or some silverlike substance.

2. to give a silvery color to.

verb (used without object)

1. to become a silvery color.

Silver ² American  

[sil-ver] / ˈsɪl vər /

noun

1. Abba Hillel 1893–1963, U.S. rabbi, born in Lithuania.

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silver British  

/ ˈsɪlvə /

noun

1. 1. a very ductile malleable brilliant greyish-white element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. It occurs free and in argentite and other ores: used in jewellery, tableware, coinage, electrical contacts, and in electroplating. Its compounds are used in photography. Symbol: Ag; atomic no: 47; atomic wt: 107.8682; valency: 1 or 2; relative density: 10.50; melting pt: 961.93°C; boiling pt: 2163°C

   2. ( as modifier )

      a silver coin

2. coin made of, or having the appearance of, this metal

3. cutlery, whether made of silver or not

4. any household articles made of silver

5. photog any of a number of silver compounds used either as photosensitive substances in emulsions or as sensitizers

6. 1. a brilliant or light greyish-white colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      silver hair

7. short for silver medal

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adjective

1. well-articulated

   silver speech

2. (prenominal) denoting the 25th in a series, esp an annual series

   a silver wedding anniversary

verb

1. (tr) to coat with silver or a silvery substance

   to silver a spoon

2. to become or cause to become silvery in colour

3. to become or cause to become elderly

silver Scientific  

/ sĭl′vər /

1. A soft, shiny, white metallic element that is found in many ores, especially together with copper, lead, and zinc. It conducts heat and electricity better than any other metal. Silver is used in photography and in making electrical circuits and conductors. Atomic number 47; atomic weight 107.868; melting point 960.8°C; boiling point 2,212°C; specific gravity 10.50; valence 1, 2.

2. See also sterling silver See Periodic Table See Note at element

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silver Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing silver

• born with a silver spoon
• cross someone's palm with silver
• hand to on a silver platter

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Other Word Forms

• nonsilver noun
• resilver verb (used with object)
• silverer noun
• silvering noun
• silverish adjective
• silverless adjective
• silverlike adjective
• silverness noun

Etymology

Origin of silver

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun and adjective) silver(e), selver(e), selfer, Old English siolfor (originally a noun); cognate with German Silber, Old Norse silfr, Gothic silubr, akin to Serbo-Croatian srèbro, Russian serebró, Lithuanian sidãbras

Example Sentences

Thin holiday trading, higher margin costs and other factors trigger silver’s biggest daily dollar decline since 1980.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thin holiday trading, higher margin costs and other factors trigger silver’s biggest daily dollar decline since 1980.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wild trading in metals markets Monday hit the brakes on a torrid year-end rally, sending silver futures to their steepest one-day decline in almost five years.

From The Wall Street Journal

While gold was up 64.6% on the year through Monday, silver has become more of a “speculative Western investor trade” in recent months, said Brien Lundin, editor of the Gold Newsletter.

From MarketWatch

There is some evidence that investors have flocked to physical silver as gold has grown more expensive, and that both metals have lured traders away from that so-called digital gold—Bitcoin.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bright
• silvery
• white