wild silk

American  

noun

1. tussah.

2. British. raw silk.

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wild silk British  

noun

1. silk produced by wild silkworms

2. a fabric made from this, or from short fibres of silk designed to imitate it

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Etymology

Origin of wild silk

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Behind them the river pulsed through the darkness, shimmering like wild silk.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Silk cultivation and manufacture have been growing rapidly in the past few years; a considerable part of the product is "tussar," or wild silk.

From Commercial Geography A Book for High Schools, Commercial Courses, and Business Colleges by Redway, Jacques W. (Jacques Wardlaw)

The name is also applied to a variety of dress goods woven with a wild silk warp and a fine worsted weft.

From Textiles For Commercial, Industrial, and Domestic Arts Schools; Also Adapted to Those Engaged in Wholesale and Retail Dry Goods, Wool, Cotton, and Dressmaker's Trades by Dooley, William H. (William Henry)

Another suggestion is that the word is a corruption of pun-shih, a native or wild silk.

From Textiles For Commercial, Industrial, and Domestic Arts Schools; Also Adapted to Those Engaged in Wholesale and Retail Dry Goods, Wool, Cotton, and Dressmaker's Trades by Dooley, William H. (William Henry)

Still, the wild silk made by the moths of India is not carefully grown.

From The Story of Silk by Price, Hattie Longstreet