Link Centre Dictionary

silken

sil·ken

UK/ˈsɪlkən/ US/ˈsɪlkʌn/ uncommon

adjective

1.

having a smooth, gleaming surface

  • “glossy auburn hair”
  • “satiny gardenia petals”
  • “sleek black fur”
  • “silken eyelashes”
  • “silky skin”
  • “a silklike fabric”
  • “slick seals and otters”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From Middle English silken, selken, seolkene, from Old English seolcen, from seolc (“silk”) + -en, from an unattested early Proto-West Germanic borrowing from Latin sēricum, from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós, “silken”), from σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”). Equivalent to silk + -en (“made of”). Cognate with Scots selkin, silkin (“silken”), Icelandic silki (“silken”).

Phrases

  • silken tofu

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.