silk

Everyday

1. A soft, smooth, shiny cloth made from threads spun by silkworms. tree →
2. The thread itself, made by silkworms or spiders. tree →
3. (UK, informal) A senior barrister; to «take silk» means to become one. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, silkworms (caterpillars of a moth) spin cocoons of silk, and spiders make silk for webs. In history, the Silk Road was a long trade route between China and Europe. In everyday life silk scarves, ties and pyjamas feel smooth. Phrases: smooth as silk, silk scarf, the Silk Road.

Examples

• Her dress is made of silk. tree →
• Silkworms spin silk to make their cocoons. tree →
• Spider silk is very strong for its weight. tree →
• Traders carried silk along the Silk Road. tree →
• The scarf felt smooth as silk. tree →
• Dad wore a silk tie to the wedding. tree →
• She wore a silk dress, golden bracelets, and large amber beads. tree →

Note

Usually uncountable: some silk, a piece of silk. Silky means soft and smooth like silk, even if not made of it.

In Jewish tradition

A fine, costly cloth, here part of the rich clothing God gives to Jerusalem in Ezekiel's story.

Interpretation. Ezekiel pictures Jerusalem as a girl whom God clothes and honors. The prophet uses it to show how much she was given and then betrayed.

Examples

• I clothed thee also with richly woven work, and shod thee with sealskin, and I wound fine linen about thy head, and covered thee with silk. (Prophets EZK.16.10, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Usually uncountable: some silk, a piece of silk. Silky means soft and smooth like silk, even if not made of it.