Silver \Sil"ver\, a.
   1. Of or pertaining to silver; made of silver; as, silver
      leaf; a silver cup.
      
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   2. Resembling silver. Specifically:
      (a) Bright; resplendent; white. "Silver hair." --Shak.
          
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                Others, on silver lakes and rivers, bathed
                Their downy breast.               --Milton.
          
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      (b) Precious; costly.
      (c) Giving a clear, ringing sound soft and clear. "Silver
          voices." --Spenser.
      (d) Sweet; gentle; peaceful. "Silver slumber." --Spenser.
          
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   {American silver fir} (Bot.), the balsam fir. See under
      {Balsam}.

   {Silver age} (Roman Lit.), the latter part (a. d. 14-180) of
      the classical period of Latinity, -- the time of writers
      of inferior purity of language, as compared with those of
      the previous golden age, so-called.

   {Silver-bell tree} (Bot.), an American shrub or small tree
      ({Halesia tetraptera}) with white bell-shaped flowers in
      clusters or racemes; the snowdrop tree.

   {Silver bush} (Bot.), a shrubby leguminous plant ({Anthyllis  Barba-Jovis}) of Southern Europe, having silvery foliage.
      

   {Silver chub} (Zool.), the fallfish.

   {Silver eel}. (Zool.)
      (a) The cutlass fish.
      (b) A pale variety of the common eel.

   {Silver fir} (Bot.), a coniferous tree ({Abies pectinata})
      found in mountainous districts in the middle and south of
      Europe, where it often grows to the height of 100 or 
      feet. It yields Burgundy pitch and Strasburg turpentine.
      

   {Silver foil}, foil made of silver.

   {Silver fox} (Zool.), a variety of the common fox ({Vulpes  vulpes}, variety argenteus) found in the northern parts of
      Asia, Europe, and America. Its fur is nearly black, with
      silvery tips, and is highly valued. Called also {black  fox}, and {silver-gray fox}.

   {Silver gar}. (Zool.) See {Billfish}
      (a) .

   {Silver grain} (Bot.), the lines or narrow plates of cellular
      tissue which pass from the pith to the bark of an
      exogenous stem; the medullary rays. In the wood of the oak
      they are much larger than in that of the beech, maple,
      pine, cherry, etc.

   {Silver grebe} (Zool.), the red-throated diver. See Illust.
      under {Diver}.

   {Silver hake} (Zool.), the American whiting.

   {Silver leaf}, leaves or sheets made of silver beaten very
      thin.

   {Silver lunge} (Zool.), the namaycush.

   {Silver moonfish}.(Zool.) See {Moonfish}
      (b) .

   {Silver moth} (Zool.), a lepisma.

   {Silver owl} (Zool.), the barn owl.

   {Silver perch} (Zool.), the mademoiselle, 2.

   {Silver pheasant} (Zool.), any one of several species of
      beautiful crested and long-tailed Asiatic pheasants, of
      the genus {Euplocamus}. They have the tail and more or
      less of the upper parts silvery white. The most common
      species ({Euplocamus nychtemerus}) is native of China.

   {Silver plate},
      (a) domestic utensils made of a base metal coated with
          silver.
      (b) a plating of silver on a base metal.

   {Silver plover} (Zool.), the knot.

   {Silver salmon} (Zool.), a salmon ({Oncorhynchus kisutch})
      native of both coasts of the North Pacific. It ascends all
      the American rivers as far south as the Sacramento. Called
      also {kisutch}, {whitefish}, and {white salmon}.

   {Silver shell} (Zool.), a marine bivalve of the genus Anomia.
      See {Anomia}.

   {Silver steel}, an alloy of steel with a very small
      proportion of silver.

   {Silver stick}, a title given to the title field officer of
      the Life Guards when on duty at the palace. [Eng.]
      --Thackeray.

   {Silver tree} (Bot.), a South African tree ({Leucadendron  argenteum}) with long, silvery, silky leaves.

   {Silver trout}, (Zool.) See {Trout}.

   {Silver wedding}. See under {Wedding}.

   {Silver whiting} (Zool.), a marine sciaenoid food fish
      ({Menticirrus littoralis}) native of the Southern United
      States; -- called also {surf whiting}.

   {Silver witch} (Zool.), A lepisma.
      
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Silver \Sil"ver\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Silvered}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Silvering}.]
   1. To cover with silver; to give a silvery appearance to by
      applying a metal of a silvery color; as, to silver a pin;
      to silver a glass mirror plate with an amalgam of tin and
      mercury.
      
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   2. To polish like silver; to impart a brightness to, like
      that of silver.
      
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            And smiling calmness silvered o'er the deep. --Pope.
      
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   3. To make hoary, or white, like silver.
      
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            His head was silvered o'er with age.  --Gay.
      
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Silver \Sil"ver\, v. i.
   To acquire a silvery color. [R.]
   
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         The eastern sky began to silver and shine. --L.
                                                  Wallace.
   
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Silver \Sil"ver\ (s[i^]l"v[~e]r), n. [OE. silver, selver,
   seolver, AS. seolfor, siolfur, siolufr, silofr, sylofr; akin
   to OS. silubar, OFries. selover, D. zilver, LG. sulver, OHG.
   silabar, silbar, G. silber, Icel. silfr, Sw. silfver, Dan.
   s["o]lv, Goth. silubr, Russ. serebro, Lith. sidabras; of
   unknown origin.]
   1. (Chem.) A soft white metallic element, sonorous, ductile,
      very malleable, and capable of a high degree of polish. It
      is found native, and also combined with sulphur, arsenic,
      antimony, chlorine, etc., in the minerals argentite,
      proustite, pyrargyrite, ceragyrite, etc. Silver is one of
      the "noble" metals, so-called, not being easily oxidized,
      and is used for coin, jewelry, plate, and a great variety
      of articles. Symbol Ag (Argentum). Atomic weight 107.7.
      Specific gravity 10.5.
      
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   Note: Silver was known under the name of luna to the ancients
         and also to the alchemists. Some of its compounds, as
         the halogen salts, are remarkable for the effect of
         light upon them, and are used in photography.
         
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   2. Coin made of silver; silver money.
      
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   3. Anything having the luster or appearance of silver.
      
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   4. The color of silver.
      
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   Note: Silver is used in the formation of many compounds of
         obvious meaning; as, silver-armed, silver-bright,
         silver-buskined, silver-coated, silver-footed,
         silver-haired, silver-headed, silver-mantled,
         silver-plated, silver-slippered, silver-sounding,
         silver-studded, silver-tongued, silver-white. See
         {Silver}, a.
         
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   {Black silver} (Min.), stephanite; -- called also {brittle  silver ore}, or {brittle silver glance}.

   {Fulminating silver}. (Chem.)
      (a) A black crystalline substance, {Ag2O.(NH3)2}, obtained
          by dissolving silver oxide in aqua ammonia. When dry
          it explodes violently on the slightest percussion.
      (b) Silver fulminate, a white crystalline substance,
          {Ag2C2N2O2}, obtained by adding alcohol to a solution
          of silver nitrate; -- also called {fulminate of  silver}. When dry it is violently explosive.

   {German silver}. (Chem.) See under {German}.

   {Gray silver}. (Min.) See {Freieslebenite}.

   {Horn silver}. (Min.) See {Cerargyrite}.

   {Kings silver}. (O. Eng. Law) See {Postfine}.

   {Red silver}, or {Ruby silver}. (Min.) See {Proustite}, and
      {Pyrargyrite}.

   {Silver beater}, one who beats silver into silver leaf or
      silver foil.

   {Silver glance}, or {Vitreous silver}. (Min.) See
      {Argentine}.
      
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