argent

Everyday

1. (heraldry) The colour silver or white on a coat of arms or shield. tree →
2. (old-fashioned, poetic) Silver, or silvery in colour: «the argent moon». tree →
3. (French) «Argent» in French means «silver» and also «money»; it is pronounced differently («ar-ZHAHN»). tree →

In the lessons

You meet «argent» in history lessons about knights and coats of arms, where colours have special names (gules = red, azure = blue, or = gold, argent = silver). In chemistry, silver's symbol Ag comes from Latin «argentum». Argentina's name also comes from this word.

Examples

• The knight's shield was argent with a red cross. tree →
• In heraldry, argent means silver. tree →
• The poet wrote of the argent light of the stars. tree →
• Silver's symbol is Ag, from Latin argentum. tree →
• Argentina was named after the Latin word for silver. tree →
• In French, «argent» also means money. tree →

Note

In English say «AR-jent». In French it means both «silver» and «money» — a false friend: in English it never means money. Mostly found in heraldry and poems.