silky

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪlki/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlki
• Homophone: Sylki

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

2. Smooth and pleasant; seductive.

   a silky wine

   a silky voice

   silky skills

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

• (like silk): silken, silklike; seric (rare)

Derived terms

• appressed-silky
• silkily
• silkiness
• silky anteater
• silky-flycatcher
• silky-haired
• silky lacewing
• silky mama
• silky mom
• silky oak
• silky smooth
• silky soft

 

Translations

similar in texture or appearance to silk

• Armenian: մետաքսյա (hy) (metakʻsya), մետաքսե (hy) (metakʻse)
• Asturian: sedosu
• Bulgarian: копринен (koprinen), мек (bg) (mek), нежен (bg) (nežen)
• Catalan: sedós
• French: soyeux (fr)
• Galician: sedoso
• German: seidig (de), seiden (de), seidenweich (de)
• Hungarian: selymes (hu)
• Italian: setoso
• Kalmyk: торһн (torğn)
• Luxembourgish: seideg, fluesseg (lb)
• Maori: māheniheni, mania (of hair)
• Norman: souoyeux
• Persian: ابریشمی (fa) (abrišami)
• Polish: jedwabny (pl), jedwabisty (pl)
• Portuguese: sedoso (pt)
• Russian: шёлковый (ru) (šólkovyj)
• Spanish: sedoso (es)
• Swedish: silkeslen (sv)
• Tagalog: malasutla

smooth like silk

• Maori: māheniheni, mania (referring to hair), mohimohi
• Persian: ابریشمگون (abrišamgun)
• Polish: jedwabisty (pl)

Noun

silky (plural silkies)

1. Alternative spelling of silkie

References

• “silky”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “silky”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)

Anagrams

• Kisly