Meaning

(chiefly uncountable) A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider)..

Definitions by Sense

1. (chiefly uncountable) A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).
2. A fine, soft cloth woven from silk fibers.
3. Anything which resembles silk, such as the filiform styles of the female flower of maize, or the seed covering of bombaxes.
4. The gown worn by a Senior (i.e. Queen's/King's) Counsel.
5. (colloquial) A Queen's Counsel, King's Counsel or Senior Counsel.
6. (circus arts, in the plural) A pair of long silk sheets suspended in the air on which a performer performs tricks.
7. (horse racing, usually in the plural) The garments worn by a jockey displaying the colors of the horse's owner.
8. (transitive) To remove the silk from (corn).

Example Sentences

The thread made of silk was barely visible.

It was flood-tide along Fifth Avenue; motor, brougham, and victoria swept by on the glittering current; pretty women glanced out from limousine and tonneau; young men of his own type, silk-hatted, frock-coated, the crooks of their walking sticks tucked up under their left arms, passed on the Park side.

Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety. She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.

While we shucked and silked the corn, we talked, sang old nursery rhymes […]

Word Forms

• silks
• silking
• silked

Related Words

When Should You Use Silk?

Use silk when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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