noun

1. the fine, soft, shiny fiber produced by silkworms to form their cocoons
2. thread or fabric made from this fiber
3. 1. a garment or other article made of this fabric
   2. a distinctive silk uniform, as of a jockey
   3. the silk gown worn by a king's (or queen's) counsel in British law courts
4. any silklike filament or substance, as that produced by spiders, or that within a milkweed pod, on the end of an ear of corn, etc.

Etymology: ME silke < OE seoluc, prob. via Slav (as in OPrus silkas) < ? L sericus (or Gr sērikos), silken: see serge

adjective

intransitive verb