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silky

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Etymology

From Middle English sylky, equivalent to silk +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

Adjective

silky (comparative silkier, superlative silkiest)

  1. Similar in appearance or texture (especially in softness and smoothness) to silk.
    silky hair
    cloth with a silky lustre
    • [1866], “The Field and the Heath”, in Beauties and Wonders of Vegetable Life; […], London: The Religious Tract Society, […], →OCLC, page 263:
      A portion of the Baromez does present a rude resemblance in its shape to the figure of an animal, and is covered by a soft downy substance, which may be compared to a silky fleece, of a reddish-brown colour, and which gives to it more the appearance of a dog than a lamb.
    • 1964, Thomas Berger, “My Indian Wife”, in Little Big Man, New York, N.Y.: Dial Press, →LCCN, page 214:
      Then I looked close at the scalp he stroked, which was of the silkiest blonde. For a moment I was sure it come from Olga’s dear head, and reckoned also he had little Gus’s fine skull-cover someplace among his filthy effects, the stinking old savage, living out his life of murder, rapine, and squalor, and I almost knifed him before I collected myself and realized the hair was honeyer than my Swedish wife’s.
    • 1986, E. N. Welch, “Just an Unofficial Investigation”, in Cynthia Manson, editor, Murder on Main Street: Small-Town Crime from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine & Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, New York, N.Y.: Barnes & Noble Books, published 1993, →ISBN, page 238:
      The door opened, and there stood Miss Ellerby, looking as Miss Ellerby should, unschoolmarmish and casually chic in a silky shirt, faded jeans, and running shoes.
  2. Smooth and pleasant; seductive.
    a silky wine
    a silky voice
    silky skills
    • 2017, Gary L. Friedman, The Friedman Archives Guide to the Sony RX-10 IV:
      If you have a circular polarizer or a neutral density (grey) filter, put that in front of the lens too. This will slow down the shutter speed even further to get silkier, smoothier (that's a word!) water motion.
  3. (botany) Covered in long, slender, glistening hairs pressed close to the surface; sericeous.
  4. (slang) Having sensibilities of mainstream culture, in contrast to crunchy.
    Cribs and formula, strollers and baby food epitomize silky parenting.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

silky (plural silkies)

  1. Alternative spelling of silkie

References

Anagrams

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