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Added 9 October 2026

silk

/sɪlk/ noun

In Latin: sēricum, bombȳx Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about silk at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).
We harvested a load of silk from the silkworm farm.
A thread or yarn made from silk fibers.
This is sewn from silk.
A fine, soft cloth woven from silk yarn or thread.
I'll buy a couple yards of silk.

verb

To develop silk.
To remove the silk from (corn).

Origin

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”)). Displaced Old English sīde (“silk”). Compare Seres. Doublet of seric and serge.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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