What does "silk" mean?
A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).
Silk
/sɪlk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).
- Grammar: silk is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ag, alabaster, attorney general, billiard table.
- Useful contrasts: aflaxen, burlap, coarse.
- Usage evidence: This beautiful dress is made of silk.
How to use "silk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "silk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "silk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "silk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "silk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "silk" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ag" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "silk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider). uncountable
"The thread made of silk was barely visible."
- 2 a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae wordnet
- 3 A fine, soft cloth woven from silk fibers. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 4 animal fibers produced by silkworms and other larvae that spin cocoons and by most spiders wordnet
- 5 Anything which resembles silk, such as the filiform styles of the female flower of maize, or the seed covering of bombaxes. countable, uncountable
"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."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The gown worn by a Senior (i.e. Queen's/King's) Counsel. countable, uncountable
- 7 A Queen's Counsel, King's Counsel or Senior Counsel. colloquial, countable, uncountable
- 8 A pair of long silk sheets suspended in the air on which a performer performs tricks. countable, in-plural, uncountable
- 9 The garments worn by a jockey displaying the colors of the horse's owner. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To remove the silk from (corn). transitive
"While we shucked and silked the corn, we talked, sang old nursery rhymes […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation for a seller of silk.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"This beautiful dress is made of silk."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "silk"?
Common synonyms include: ag, alabaster, attorney general, billiard table, blubber, bowling alley.
How do you use "silk" in a sentence?
This beautiful dress is made of silk.
How do you pronounce "silk"?
Pronounced /sɪlk/.
Etymology
From Middle English silk, sylk, selk, selc, from Old English sioloc, seoloc, seolc (“silk”). The immediate source is uncertain; it probably reached English via the Baltic trade routes (cognates in Old Norse silki (> Danish silke, Swedish silke (“silk”)), Russian шёлк (šolk), obsolete Lithuanian zilkai̇̃), all ultimately from Late Latin sēricus, from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós), ultimately from an Oriental language (represented now by e.g. Chinese 絲 /丝 (sī, “silk”)). Compare Seres. Doublet of seric and serge.