silk

American  

[silk] / sɪlk /

noun

silks plural

1. the soft, lustrous fiber obtained as a filament from the cocoon of the silkworm.

2. thread made from this fiber.

3. cloth made from this fiber.

4. a garment of this cloth.

5. a gown of such material worn distinctively by a King's or Queen's Counsel at the English bar.

6. silks, the blouse and peaked cap, considered together, worn by a jockey or sulky driver in a race.

7. Informal. a parachute, especially one opened aloft.

8. any fiber or filamentous matter resembling silk, as a filament produced by certain spiders, the thread of a mollusk, or the like.

9. the hairlike styles on an ear of corn.

10. British Informal.

    1. a King's or Queen's Counsel.

    2. any barrister of high rank.

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adjective

1. made of silk.

2. resembling silk; silky.

3. of or relating to silk.

verb (used without object)

1. (of corn) to be in the course of developing silk.

idioms

1. take silk, to become a Queen's or King's Counsel.

2. hit the silk, to parachute from an aircraft; bail out.

silk British  

/ sɪlk /

noun

1. the very fine soft lustrous fibre produced by a silkworm to make its cocoon

2. 1. thread or fabric made from this fibre

   2. ( as modifier )

      a silk dress

3. a garment made of this

4. a very fine fibre produced by a spider to build its web, nest, or cocoon

5. the tuft of long fine styles on an ear of maize

6. 1. the gown worn by a Queen's (or King's) Counsel

   2. informal a Queen's (or King's) Counsel

   3. to become a Queen's (or King's) Counsel

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verb

1. (intr) (of maize) to develop long hairlike styles

silk Scientific  

/ sĭlk /

1. 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.

2. A substance similar to the silk of the silkworm but produced by other insect larvae or by spiders to spin webs.

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silk More Idioms  

1. see can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear; smooth as silk.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-silk
  adjective
• silklike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• silks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of silk

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun selk, seolk, solk, Old English sioloc, seol(o)c (cognate with Old Norse silki, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish silke, but not found in other Germanic languages), by uncertain transmission from Latin sērica, noun use of neuter plural adjective sēricus, or from Greek sērikón “silk,” noun use of neuter of sērikós “silken,” literally, “Chinese,” derivative of Latin Sēres, Greek Sêres “the Chinese”; Germanic, Slavic ( Old Church Slavonic shelkŭ, Russian shëlk ) and Baltic ( Lithuanian šilkai ) all show unexplained change of r to l ); cf. seric-

Explanation

Silk is a very smooth, light fabric that's usually made of fibers from silkworm cocoons. Your sister might decide to wear a white dress made of silk to her wedding. Silk is often an expensive kind of fabric from which fancy curtains and upholstery are made, as well as clothing. Things made of silk are soft and satiny, and they usually have an almost glossy sheen. The word silk has an Old English root, sioloc, from Sēres, the Greek word for people from the region in Asia where silk was first made.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

silk silks

“Every detail, from the custom Vintage Rose hue to the hand-draped silk chiffon, delicate lacework and sculpted corsetry, was created to reflect her effortless spirit while celebrating the artistry of couture.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

It was at A&M — he was wearing this red silk shirt that had sweat stains under both arms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Researchers say the species uses a powerful spring-loaded silk trap to capture a single type of prey, catching one ant at a time in what they describe as "the ultimate specialization."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

After nightfall, it drops down some 50cm to a leaf, a branch or the forest floor and creates an anchor point using a silk line.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Everyone around him was dressed for war, but he wore a deep green silk kaftan and a long fur-trimmed robe rather than armor.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Autochromes possess the light-dappled depth of Impressionist paintings, the powdery precision of pointillism, the honest blushes of butterfly cheeks, and the palpable textures of gleaming silks and gilded velvets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

The connection to the brand was obvious, and he jumped at the chance to buy not only the building, but also the endless yards of deadstock vintage silks the owner had.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025

Fuller’s signature creation might be the serpentine dance, which combined flowing choreography borrowed from “skirt dancing” with silks and lighting to create the impression of waves and whirling.

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2024

Between the pomp surrounding donning one’s holy livery, pointed glares and swishing red silks and velvets, these cassocked clergymen make bored teenagers seem kind.

From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024

He walked back to the jockeys’ room, slipped out of the Howard silks, and hung them up.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• fiber
• taffeta
• thread
• tulle