argent

¹

[ ahr-juhnt ]

noun

1. Heraldry. the tincture or metal silver.
2. Archaic.
   1. silver.
   2. something silvery or white.
3. Obsolete. money.

adjective

1. like silver; silvery white.
2. Heraldry. of the tincture or metal silver:

   a lion argent.

argent-

²

1. variant of argento-, especially before a vowel.

argent

/ ˈɑːdʒənt /

noun

1. 1. an archaic or poetic word for silver
   2. ( as adjective; often postpositive, esp in heraldry )

      a bend argent

Word History and Origins

Origin of argent¹

1400–50; late Middle English argentum < Latin: silver, money

Word History and Origins

Origin of argent¹

C15: from Old French, from Latin

Example Sentences

Police in Paris are investigating the theft of $1.6 million in wine that was stolen from La Tour d’Argent, a renowned restaurant in Paris.

From New York Times

More than 80 bottles of rare wine disappeared from the cellar of La Tour d’Argent, a renowned restaurant in Paris, according to a complaint filed last week that left investigators scrambling to find who was responsible.

From New York Times

The wine stolen from La Tour d’Argent included bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, one of the most expensive wine estates in the world, Le Parisien reported.

From New York Times

A spokeswoman for La Tour d’Argent declined to comment on the theft.

From New York Times

The first iteration of La Tour d’Argent was founded in 1582.

From New York Times

Words That Use Argent-

What does argent- mean?

Argent- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “silver.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry.

Argent- comes from Latin argentum, meaning “silver.” The name of the South American country of Argentina ultimately comes from this same Latin word. Find out how at our entry for Argentina. The Greek cognate of argentum is árgyros, the source of argyria, a gray discoloration of the skin that results from silver deposits.

What are variants of argent-?

Argent- is a variant of argento-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on argento-.

A rare variant of argent- is argenti-, as in argentiferous.

Examples of argent-

One example of a term from chemistry that features the form argent- is argentous, meaning “containing univalent silver.”

While argent- means “silver,” the suffix -ous has various meanings, including “possessing, full of.” Argentous literally translates to “full of silver.”

What are some words that use the combining form argent-?

• argentaffin
• argentaffinoma
• argental
• argenteous (using the equivalent form of argent- in Latin)
• argentic
• argentite

What are some other forms that argent- may be commonly confused with?

• arche-
• aristo-
• arsen-
• arseno-

Break it down!

The suffix -ite is used to name minerals. With this in mind, what kind of substance is argentite?