Meaning & use
silk
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Meanings
noununcountable
A soft, smooth, shiny fiber made by silkworms, or the fabric woven from it.
Grammar: No plural in this sense: a dress made of silk.
Patterns
- made of silk
- a silk something
Her wedding dress was made of ivory silk.
Silk feels cool and smooth against the skin.
The shop sells scarves in pure silk.
noununcountablebiology
The fine thread produced by spiders or some insects, used to make webs and cocoons.
Grammar: Used without an or the: spider silk is very strong.
Patterns
- spin silk
- spider silk
Spiders spin silk to build their webs.
The caterpillar wrapped itself in a cocoon of silk.
Spider silk is stronger than steel of the same thickness.
adjectivebefore a noun
Made of silk, or looking and feeling like silk.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a silk shirt.
Patterns
- a silk something
He wore a blue silk tie to the interview.
She bought a silk blouse for the party.
The hotel room had silk curtains.
Word forms
| plural | silks |
|---|
Common combinations
- pure silk
- The robe is pure silk.
- raw silk
- Raw silk has a rougher, more textured feel.
- smooth as silk
- The cream left her skin smooth as silk.
- silk scarf
- She tied a silk scarf around her neck.
- spider silk
- Scientists study spider silk because it is so strong.
Synonyms and how they differ
- satin
- Satin is a way of weaving cloth with a glossy surface and may be made of silk or other fibers, whereas silk is the material itself.
- cotton
- Cotton is a plant fiber and less shiny; it is a different material rather than a synonym.
- rayon
- Rayon is an artificial fiber made to imitate silk and is cheaper and less luxurious.
Word family
Commonly confused: silk or silk vs. milk?
silk vs silk vs. milk
The words look and sound alike but have different meanings: silk is a fabric and milk is a drink.
Practice
Which sentence uses silk correctly?
Choose one answer.
Silk is an uncountable noun for the material, so made of silk is correct. The other options use non-existent or ungrammatical forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “silk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.