silk: Meaning and Definition of

silk

Pronunciation: (silk), [key]
— n.
  1. the soft, lustrous fiber obtained as a filament from the cocoon of the silkworm.
  2. thread made from this fiber.
  3. cloth made from this fiber.
  4. a garment of this cloth.
  5. a gown of such material worn distinctively by a King's or Queen's Counsel at the English bar.
  6. the blouse and peaked cap, considered together, worn by a jockey or sulky driver in a race.
  7. a parachute, esp. one opened aloft.
  8. any fiber or filamentous matter resembling silk, as a filament produced by certain spiders, the thread of a mollusk, or the like.
  9. the hairlike styles on an ear of corn.
    1. a King's or Queen's Counsel.
    2. any barrister of high rank.
  10. to parachute from an aircraft; bail out.
  11. to become a Queen's or King's Counsel.
—adj.
  1. made of silk.
  2. resembling silk; silky.
  3. of or pertaining to silk.
—v.i.
  1. (of corn) to be in the course of developing silk.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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