English
silken
Silken comes from Old English seolcen ‘silk’, and goes back to Ancient Greek σήρ ‘silkworm’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσήρsḗr‘silkworm’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσηρικόςsērikós
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēricum‘Chinese goods, but especially silk’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150seolc‘silk’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150seolcen‘silk’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500silken
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593–1597same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσήρsḗr‘silkworm’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσηρικόςsērikós
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēricum‘Chinese goods, but especially silk’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150seolc‘silk’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150seolcen‘silk’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500silken
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593–1597same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1593–1597, John Donne, Satyre I: “Yet though he cannot skip forth now to greet…”
Formed from silk + -en ‘made of’
Ancient Greek σήρ ‘silkworm’
…
Vulgar Latin sericus
Proto-West Germanic *seluk
Old English seolc
Middle English silk
English silk
Linked words
through Ancient Greek σήρ ‘silkworm’
through Ancient Greek σηρικός
Today it means
adj Made of silk.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek σήρ / silken