a very ductile malleable brilliant greyish-white element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. It occurs free and in argentite and other ores: used in jewellery, tableware, coinage, electrical contacts, and in electroplating. Its compounds are used in photography. Symbol: Ag; atomic no: 47; atomic wt: 107.8682; valency: 1 or 2; relative density: 10.50; melting pt: 961.93°C; boiling pt: 2163°C
b.
(as modifier)
a silver coin
▶ Related adjective: argent
2.
coin made of, or having the appearance of, this metal
3.
cutlery, whether made of silver or not
4.
any household articles made of silver
5. photography
any of a number of silver compounds used either as photosensitive substances in emulsions or as sensitizers
6.
a.
a brilliant or light greyish-white colour
b.
(as adjective)
silver hair
7. short for silver medal
adjective
8.
well-articulated
silver speech
9. (prenominal)
denoting the 25th in a series, esp an annual series
a silver wedding anniversary
verb
10. (transitive)
to coat with silver or a silvery substance
to silver a spoon
11.
to become or cause to become silvery in colour
12.
to become or cause to become elderly
Derived forms
silverer (ˈsilverer)
noun
silvering (ˈsilvering)
noun
Word origin
Old English siolfor; related to Old Norse silfr, Gothic silubr, Old High German silabar, Old Slavonic sirebro