silver

[ sil-ver ]

/ ˈsɪl vər /

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.

Words nearby silver

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

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)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for silverlike

silver

/ (ˈsɪlvə) /

noun

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
(as modifier)a silver coin Related adjective: argent

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

cutlery, whether made of silver or not

any household articles made of silver

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

a brilliant or light greyish-white colour
(as adjective)silver hair

short for silver medal

adjective

well-articulatedsilver speech

(prenominal) denoting the 25th in a series, esp an annual seriesa silver wedding anniversary

verb

(tr) to coat with silver or a silvery substanceto silver a spoon

to become or cause to become silvery in colour

to become or cause to become elderly

Derived forms of silver

silverer, nounsilvering, noun

Word Origin for silver

Old English siolfor; related to Old Norse silfr, Gothic silubr, Old High German silabar, Old Slavonic sirebro

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for silverlike

silver

[ sĭl′vər ]

n. Symbol Ag

A lustrous ductile malleable metallic element having the highest thermal and electrical conductivity of the metals and used in dental alloys and in pharmaceuticals. Atomic number 47.

Science definitions for silverlike

silver

[ sĭl′vər ]

Ag

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

Idioms and Phrases with silverlike

silver

In addition to the idiom beginning with silver

silver lining

also see:

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