silk

Study(7)

/sɪlk/

noun 5verb 1name 1

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

heavy | delicate, fine, thin | soft | pure | artificial

bright

The designer chose bright silks for the wedding dress collection.

rich

The wedding dress was made from rich silk that shimmered under the ballroom lights.

faded | watered | raw | Chinese, Thai, etc.

VERB + SILK

produce

Thailand produces some of the world's most beautiful silk for clothing and home decoration.

spin, weave | be lined with, be trimmed with

SILK + NOUN

industry, mill

PREP

in ~

of ~

The soft curtains of silk hung elegantly in the living room window.

Definitions

noun

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

The thread made of silk was barely visible.

A fine, soft cloth woven from silk fibers.

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.

Anything which resembles silk, such as the filiform styles of the female flower of maize, or the seed covering of bombaxes.

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.

The gown worn by a Senior (i.e. Queen's/King's) Counsel.

A Queen's Counsel, King's Counsel or Senior Counsel.

verb

To remove the silk from (corn).

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

name

A surname originating as an occupation for a seller of silk.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

take silk

to be appointed as a Queen's Counsel (QC) or King's Counsel (KC)

make a silk purse of a sow's ear

To produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.

"He always was an unmannerly cub," said Master Headley, as he read the letter. "Well, I've done my best to make a silk purse of a sow's ear!"

you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear

It is not possible to produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.

Example Bank

The thread made of silk was barely visible.

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

We deal in silk goods.

Tatoeba · #23016

The dress is of silk.

Tatoeba · #50153

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, silk is marked as colloquial. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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