SILK

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does silk mean? 

• SILK (noun)
  The noun SILK has 2 senses:

1. a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae

2. animal fibers produced by silkworms and other larvae that spin cocoons and by most spiders

  Familiarity information: SILK used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SILK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("silk" is a kind of...):

cloth; fabric; material; textile (artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "silk"):

sarcenet; sarsenet (a fine soft silk fabric often used for linings)

Derivation:

silky (having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Animal fibers produced by silkworms and other larvae that spin cocoons and by most spiders

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("silk" is a kind of...):

animal fiber; animal fibre (fiber derived from animals)

 Context examples 

I'm sure our pops look like silk, and they are nice enough for us.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

The soldier now blew upon a green whistle, and at once a young girl, dressed in a pretty green silk gown, entered the room.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

I had a small silk handkerchief tied round my throat; I had my gloves.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

With our black silk face-coverings, which turned us into two of the most truculent figures in London, we stole up to the silent, gloomy house.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It is found primarily in gelatin and silk fibroin and used therapeutically as a nutrient.

(Glycine, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Three—a full piece of white Genoan velvet with twelve ells of purple silk.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

My dear, do not you think these silk gloves wear very well?

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Look at the band of ribbed silk and the excellent lining.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I noticed that Van Helsing tied a soft silk handkerchief round her throat.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

My passion takes away my appetite, and makes me wear my newest silk neckerchief continually.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)