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silver

[ sil-ver ]

/ ˈsɪl vər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR silver ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Chemistry. a white, ductile metallic element, used for making mirrors, coins, ornaments, table utensils, photographic chemicals, conductors, etc. Symbol: Ag; atomic weight: 107.870; atomic number: 47; specific gravity: 10.5 at 20°C.

coin made of this metal; specie; money: a handful of silver.

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

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

any flatware: The kitchen silver is of stainless steel.

something resembling this metal in color, luster, etc.

a lustrous grayish white or whitish gray, or the color of the metal: the silver of the leaves.

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

silver medal.

adjective

consisting of, made of, or plated with silver.

of or relating to silver.

producing or yielding silver.

resembling silver; silvery: the silver moon.

clear and soft: silver sounds.

eloquent; persuasive: a silver tongue.

urging the use of silver as a currency standard: silver economists.

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

having the color silver: a silver dress.

verb (used with object)

to coat with silver or some silverlike substance.

to give a silvery color to.

verb (used without object)

to become a silvery color.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of silver

before 900; (noun and adj.) Middle English silver(e), selver(e), selfer, Old English siolfor (orig. noun); cognate with German Silber, Old Norse silfr, Gothic silubr, akin to Serbo-Croatian srèbro, Russian serebró, Lithuanian sidãbras; (v.) late Middle English silveren, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM silver

sil·ver·er, nounsil·ver·ish, adjectivesil·ver·less, adjectivesil·ver·like, adjective

sil·ver·ness, nounnon·sil·ver, noun, adjectivere·sil·ver, verb (used with object)

Words nearby silver

silvadine, silvan, silvana, silvanus, silvassa, silver, silver age, silver bass, silver beet, silver bell, silver belly

Definition for silver (2 of 2)

Silver

[ sil-ver ]

/ ˈsɪl vər /

noun

Ab·ba Hillel

[ab-uh] /ˈæb ə/,1893–1963, U.S. rabbi, born in Lithuania.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for silver

Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These are dark times for network TV, but experiments like Galavant are the silver lining.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale|Melissa Leon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her name was Courtney, and she was a fashion editor for magazines like Photoplay, Screenland, Silver Screen.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
No congratulations for those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths and then blame the poor for being poor.
Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.|Gene Robinson|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Brinsley stepped up to the passenger side of the patrol car, raised a silver Taurus semi-automatic pistol and began firing.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were rumours that among the articles was a silver coal-scuttle, but it proved to be a sugar-bowl in that pattern.
Tommy and Grizel|J.M. Barrie
Last and most precious was the silver shilling, which she polished carefully with her chamois-skin pen-wiper before putting away.
The Little Colonel: Maid of Honor|Annie Fellows Johnston
And so showing her handfuls of Gold and Silver, he humbly intreated a Reconciliation betwixt 'em.
The Notorious Impostor and Diego Redivivus|Elkanah Settle
The amount of silver it contains must be determined and recorded.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
No; he breaks this one treasure in two, that both the poor things may have a silver token of love and a pledge of his return.
Love Me Little, Love Me Long|Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for silver

silver

/ (ˈsɪlvə) /