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silk

n.
US //ˈsɪɫk// UK //sˈɪlk// silk
  1. 1 the material or cloth (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a delicate, soft, and expensive cloth made from the threads of a silkworm.

    a fine, lustrous fibre produced by silkworms, or the textile woven from these threads. Uncountable when referring to the material; countable when referring to specific types or garments.

    Example

    She wore a beautiful dress made of green silk to the wedding.

    Example

    The merchant specialised in importing raw silk from East Asia, which was then processed into high-end garments for the European market.
  2. 2 a senior lawyer (n.)
    C1 Advanced British English Formal Law

    a high-ranking lawyer in the UK and some other countries.

    a Senior Counsel or King's Counsel, so named because of the silk gown they are entitled to wear in court.

    Example

    After twenty years of successful cases, she was finally appointed as a silk.

    Example

    The defendant's family decided to hire a leading silk to lead the defence team during the high-profile fraud trial.
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  1. 3 jockey's clothing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Sport

    the colourful shirts worn by people who ride horses in races.

    the colourful garments worn by a jockey, typically displaying the specific colours and patterns of the horse's owner.

    Example

    The jockey changed into the owner's blue and white silks before the race.

    Example

    As the horses rounded the final bend, the owner's distinctive red and gold silks were clearly visible at the front of the pack.
  2. 4 aerial performance (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Theatre

    long pieces of fabric hanging from the ceiling that performers use to do acrobatics.

    a type of aerial apparatus consisting of two long strips of fabric suspended from a single point, used for acrobatic tricks.

    Example

    She practiced her routine on the silks for hours to get the drop right.

    Example

    The circus performer demonstrated incredible core strength while wrapping herself in the silks high above the stage.
Origin

From Middle English silk, sylk, selk, selc, from Old English sioloc, seoloc, seolc (“silk”). The immediate source is uncertain; it probably reached English via the Baltic trade routes (cognates in Old Norse silki (> Danish silke, Swedish silke (“silk”)), Russian шёлк (šolk), obsolete Lithuanian zilkai̇̃), all ultimately from Late Latin sēricus, from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós), ultimately from an Oriental language (represented now by e.g. Chinese 絲 /丝 (sī, “silk”)). Compare Seres. Doublet of seric and serge.

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