Etymograph

English

silk

Silk comes from Ancient Greek σηρικός ‘silken’, and goes back to σήρ ‘silkworm’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσήρsḗr‘silkworm’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσηρικός‘silken’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEsericus
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*selukreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150seolcas sioloc
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500silk
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1907same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσήρsḗr‘silkworm’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσηρικός‘silken’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEsericus
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*selukreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150seolcas sioloc
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500silk
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1907same form

Earliest quotation: 1907, Robert William Chambers, His Own People: “It was flood-tide along Fifth Avenue; motor, brougham, and…”

The story

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.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Linked words

through Ancient Greek σηρικός ‘silken’

serge, 4 more

through Vulgar Latin sericus

serine, 6 more

Today it means

noun A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek σήρ / silk

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