— silverer , n. — silverish , adj. — silverless , adj. — silverlike , adj. — silverness , n.
/sil"veuhr/ , n.
1. Chem. a white, ductile metallic element, used for making mirrors, coins, ornaments, table utensils, photographic chemicals, conductors, etc. Symbol: Ag; at. wt.: 107.870; at. no.: 47; sp. gr.: 10.5 at 20°C.
2. coin made of this metal; specie; money: a handful of silver.
3. this metal as a commodity or considered as a currency standard.
4. table articles made of or plated with silver, including flatware and hollowware.
5. any flatware: The kitchen silver is of stainless steel.
6. something resembling this metal in color, luster, etc.
7. a lustrous grayish white or whitish gray, or the color of the metal: the silver of the leaves.
8. any of the silver halides used for photographic purposes, as silver bromide, silver chloride, or silver iodide.
9. See silver medal .
adj.
10. consisting of, made of, or plated with silver.
11. of or pertaining to silver.
12. producing or yielding silver.
13. resembling silver; silvery: the silver moon.
14. clear and soft: silver sounds.
15. eloquent; persuasive: a silver tongue.
16. urging the use of silver as a currency standard: silver economists.
17. indicating the twenty-fifth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary. See table under wedding anniversary .
18. having the color silver: a silver dress.
v.t.
19. to coat with silver or some silverlike substance.
20. to give a silvery color to.
v.i.
21. to become a silvery color.
[ bef. 900; (n. and adj.) ME silver ( e ), selver ( e ), selfer, OE siolfor (orig. n.); c. G Silber, ON silfr, Goth silubr, akin to Serbo-Croatian srèbro, Russ serebró, Lith sidãbras; (v.) late ME silveren, deriv. of the n. ]