silken

CEFRB1

/ˈsɪlkən/

adjective

Türkçe translations

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In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Made of silk or feeling as smooth as silk.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Synonym of silky, like silk, silklike, particularly, Having a smooth, soft, or light texture.

Examples

  • Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl chain of all virtues.

  • Last Saturday was three Weeks, at Two, in the Afternoon, I sent out my Servant, to watch a Couple of these Silken Strollers, and keep, if possible, within Ken of them.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Made of silk.

  2. Synonym of silky, like silk, silklike, particularly

  3. Having a smooth, soft, or light texture.

More examples

In context

  • a silken veil

  • silkening body lotion

  • [L]ove is not to be bought, in any ſenſe of the vvords, its ſilken vvings are inſtantly ſhrivelled up vvhen any thing beſide a return in kind is ſought.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

Her blank hair felt incredibly smooth and soft to the touch after washing.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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”).