Etymologically
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silver

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈsɪl.və/, US /ˈsɪl.vɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English silver, inherited from Old English seolfor (“silver; silver coin, money”),[2][3] Mercian sylfur,[2] from Proto-Germanic *silubr,[3][4] the source also of Old Saxon silubar, Dutch zilver, German Silber, Old Norse silfr and Gothic silubr.[2][3] It is of uncertain origin, and is related in some way to the Balto-Slavic words, such as Old Church Slavonic sĭrebro and Lithuanian sidabras.[2][4] It has long been thought a Wanderwort of Eastern origin,[2][5] and Barnhart compares Assyrian ṣarpu “silver”.[3] Boutkan suggests instead a Hispano-Celtic word from an Iberian source, which would fit Basque zilharr.[2] It replaced the Indo-European word represented by Latin argentum.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The metal: about 825 in the OED,[6] and before 830 in Barnhart.[3] The adjective, “made of silver”, is from 1032 in Old English.[3]

Semantic evolution

In Old English it also meant silver coin, money,[2][6] and in Scots siller still means money.[7] Articles made of silver, silverware, are from about 1300,[2][6] and a silvery colour or lustre from 1481.[6] Of voices and words, from the metal's pleasing ring, it is from the 1520s, and silver-tongued from the 1590s.[2] Of grey hair it is by the 1580s.[2] The silver age, a phrase of Greek and Roman poets, is in English from the 1560s.[2] A literal silver spoon is from the late 15th century.[2] The verb, “to coat with silver”, is from about 1350,[3] the mid-14th century in Etymonline,[2] and “to tinge with grey” from about 1600.[2] A silver medal is silver from 1960.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 825 – the metal.[6]
  • 1032 – adjective, made of silver.[3]
  • c. 1300 – silverware.[2]
  • c. 1350 – verb, to coat with silver.[3]
  • 1481 – a silvery colour.[6]
  • 1520s – of voices.[2]
  • 1590s – silver-tongued.[2]
  • 1960 – a silver medal.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A shiny white precious metallic element, used in jewellery, tableware and coins; symbol Ag.
  2. Coins made of silver; money.
  3. Articles made of or plated with silver; silverware.
  4. A shiny grey colour.
  5. A silver medal.

Adjective

  1. Made of or containing silver.
  2. Shiny greyish-white, like silver; of hair, grey.
  3. Of sound, soft and clear.
  4. Marking a 25th anniversary: silver wedding.

Verb

  1. To coat with silver.
  2. To make or become silvery or grey.

Word family

  • silverer
  • silverish
  • silverless
  • silverlike
  • silverness
  • desilver
  • desilverize
  • nonsilver
  • silverware
  • silversmith
  • silvery
  • argent
  • quicksilver

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)