Definitions for: Silver


[n] silverware eating utensils
[n] a light shade of gray
[n] coins made of silver
[n] a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
[adj] expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively; "able to dazzle with his facile tongue"; "silver speech"
[adj] having the white lustrous sheen of silver; "a land of silver (or silvern) rivers where the salmon leap"; "repeated scrubbings have given the wood a silvery sheen"
[adj] lustrous gray; covered with or tinged with the color of silver; "silvery hair"
[adj] made from or largely consisting of silver; "silver bracelets"
[v] turn silver, as of hair
[v] make silver in color; "Her worries had silvered her hair"
[v] coat with a layer of silver or a silver amalgam; "silver the necklace"



Webster (1913) Definition: Sil"ver, n. [OE. silver, selver, seolver, AS. seolfor,
siolfur, siolufr, silofr, sylofr; akin to OS. silubar,
OFries. selover, D. zilver, LG. sulver, OHG. silabar, silbar,
G. silber, Icel. silfr, Sw. silfver, Dan. s["o]lv, Goth.
silubr, Russ. serebro, Lith. sidabras; of unknown origin.]
1. (Chem.) A soft white metallic element, sonorous, ductile,
very malleable, and capable of a high degree of polish. It
is found native, and also combined with sulphur, arsenic,
antimony, chlorine, etc., in the minerals argentite,
proustite, pyrargyrite, ceragyrite, etc. Silver is one of
the ``noble'' metals, so-called, not being easily
oxidized, and is used for coin, jewelry, plate, and a
great variety of articles. Symbol Ag (Argentum). Atomic
weight 107.7. Specific gravity 10.5.

Note: Silver was known under the name of luna to the ancients
and also to the alchemists. Some of its compounds, as
the halogen salts, are remarkable for the effect of
light upon them, and are used in photography.

2. Coin made of silver; silver money.

3. Anything having the luster or appearance of silver.

4. The color of silver.

Note: Silver is used in the formation of many compounds of
obvious meaning; as, silver-armed, silver-bright,
silver-buskined, silver-coated, silver-footed,
silver-haired, silver-headed, silver-mantled,
silver-plated, silver-slippered, silver-sounding,
silver-studded, silver-tongued, silver-white. See
Silver, a.

Black silver (Min.), stephanite; -- called also {brittle
silver ore}, or brittle silver glance.

Fulminating silver. (Chem.)
(a) A black crystalline substance, Ag2O.(NH3)2, obtained
by dissolving silver oxide in aqua ammonia. When dry
it explodes violently on the slightest percussion.
(b) Silver fulminate, a white crystalline substance,
Ag2C2N2O2, obtained by adding alcohol to a solution
of silver nitrate. When dry it is violently explosive.


German silver. (Chem.) See under German.

Gray silver. (Min.) See Freieslebenite.

Horn silver. (Min.) See Cerargyrite.

King's silver. (O. Eng. Law) See Postfine.

Red silver, or Ruby silver. (Min.) See Proustite, and
Pyrargyrite.

Silver beater, one who beats silver into silver leaf or
silver foil.

Silver glance, or Vitreous silver. (Min.) See
Argentine.


Sil"ver, a.
1. Of or pertaining to silver; made of silver; as, silver
leaf; a silver cup.

2. Resembling silver. Specifically:
(a) Bright; resplendent; white. ``Silver hair.'' --Shak.

Others, on silver lakes and rivers, bathed Their
downy breast. --Milton.
(b) Precious; costly.
(c) Giving a clear, ringing sound soft and clear. ``Silver
voices.'' --Spenser.
(d) Sweet; gentle; peaceful. ``Silver slumber.''
--Spenser.

American silver fir (Bot.), the balsam fir. See under
Balsam.

Silver age (Roman Lit.), the latter part (a. d. 14-180) of
the classical period of Latinity, -- the time of writers
of inferior purity of language, as compared with those of
the previous golden age, so-called.

Silver-bell tree (Bot.), an American shrub or small tree
(Halesia tetraptera) with white bell-shaped flowers in
clusters or racemes; the snowdrop tree.

Silver bush (Bot.), a shrubby leguminous plant ({Anthyllis
Barba-Jovis}) of Southern Europe, having silvery foliage.


Silver chub (Zo["o]l.), the fallfish.

Silver eel. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The cutlass fish.
(b) A pale variety of the common eel.

Silver fir (Bot.), a coniferous tree (Abies pectinata)
found in mountainous districts in the middle and south of
Europe, where it often grows to the height of 100 or 150
feet. It yields Burgundy pitch and Strasburg turpentine.


Silver foil, foil made of silver.

Silver fox (Zo["o]l.), a variety of the common fox ({Vulpes
vulpes}, variety argenteus) found in the northern parts
of Asia, Europe, and America. Its fur is nearly black,
with silvery tips, and is highly valued. Called also
black fox, and silver-gray fox.

Silver gar. (Zo["o]l.) See Billfish
(a) .

Silver grain (Bot.), the lines or narrow plates of cellular
tissue which pass from the pith to the bark of an
exogenous stem; the medullary rays. In the wood of the oak
they are much larger than in that of the beech, maple,
pine, cherry, etc.

Silver grebe (Zo["o]l.), the red-throated diver. See
Illust. under Diver.

Silver hake (Zo["o]l.), the American whiting.

Silver leaf, leaves or sheets made of silver beaten very
thin.

Silver lunge (Zo["o]l.), the namaycush.

Silver moonfish.(Zo["o]l.) See Moonfish
(b) .

Silver moth (Zo["o]l.), a lepisma.

Silver owl (Zo["o]l.), the barn owl.

Silver perch (Zo["o]l.), the mademoiselle, 2.

Silver pheasant (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of
beautiful crested and long-tailed Asiatic pheasants, of
the genus Euplocamus. They have the tail and more or
less of the upper parts silvery white. The most common
species (E. nychtemerus) is native of China.

Silver plate, domestic utensils made of silver.



Silver plover (Zo["o]l.), the knot.

Silver salmon (Zo["o]l.), a salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
native of both coasts of the North Pacific. It ascends all
the American rivers as far south as the Sacramento. Called
also kisutch, whitefish, and white salmon.

Silver shell (Zo["o]l.), a marine bivalve of the genus
Anomia. See Anomia.



Silver steel, an alloy of steel with a very small
proportion of silver.

Silver stick, a title given to the title field officer of
the Life Guards when on duty at the palace. [Eng.]
--Thackeray.

Silver tree (Bot.), a South African tree ({Leucadendron
argenteum}) with long, silvery, silky leaves.

Silver trout, (Zo["o]l.) See Trout.

Silver wedding. See under Wedding.

Silver whiting (Zo["o]l.), a marine sci[ae]noid food fish
(Menticirrus littoralis) native of the Southern United
States; -- called also surf whiting.

Silver witch (Zo["o]l.), A lepisma.


Sil"ver, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Silvered; p. pr. & vb.
n. Silvering.]
1. To cover with silver; to give a silvery appearance to by
applying a metal of a silvery color; as, to silver a pin;
to silver a glass mirror plate with an amalgam of tin and
mercury.

2. To polish like silver; to impart a brightness to, like
that of silver.

And smiling calmness silvered o'er the deep. --Pope.

3. To make hoary, or white, like silver.

His head was silvered o'er with age. --Gay.


Sil"ver, v. i.
To acquire a silvery color. [R.]

The eastern sky began to silver and shine. --L.
Wallace.

Synonyms: achromatic, Ag, argent, articulate, ash gray, ash grey, atomic number 47, bright, eloquent, facile, flatware, fluent, metal(a), metallic, silver gray, silver grey, silverish, silvern, silver-tongued, silvery, smooth-spoken

See Also: Ag, argentite, atomic number 47, coin silver, color, color in, colorise, colorize, colour, colour in, colourise, colourize, conductor, discolor, discolour, gray, grayness, grey, greyness, noble metal, plate, precious metal, silver, silver, silverware, sterling silver

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