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

Explanation

The shiny precious metal that's used for jewelry, spoons and forks, and fancy candlesticks is silver. You can also use the word silver to describe things that are the same color as silver. There are silver bracelets and silver coins, but also silver hair and a silver sky. The element known to scientists as Ag, or silver, is rare and valuable, and was once used to make money. Today many coins are silver in color, but they're usually made of nickel and copper. If you believe that every terrible event has a hopeful or encouraging aspect to it, you might say, "Every cloud has a silver lining."

Example Sentences

Inside a small lab tucked away in the National Botanical Gardens of Wales in Carmarthenshire, humming freezers full of labelled silver packets are the last line of defence to save wild species from extinction.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Even silver has more uses than gold, as a component in solar panels, medical devices and electric vehicles, for example.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

These ions were then converted into metallic silver, making the network visible under a microscope.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

Gold settled 2% higher, up for a third-consecutive session, and silver rose 4.7%, snapping a three-session losing streak.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Some looked like silver and some looked like gold.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• bright
• silvery
• white