Where does “silken” come from?
Silken comes from Middle English silken, from Old English seolcen, formed with the Old English suffix -en from Latin sericum, an adjective derived from Latin sericus with the suffix -icus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
silken (English): Made of silk; Having a smooth, soft, or light...
Definitions
- Made of silk; Having a smooth, soft, or light...
Ancestry of “silken”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | silken | Alternative form of selken |
| 2 | Old English | seolcen | made of silk; silken |
| 3 | Old English | seolc | silk |
| 4 | Latin | sēricum | Chinese goods, but especially silk |
| 5 | English | serigraph | a silkscreen print made by serigraphy; an... |
| 6 | Latin | sericum | Chinese goods, but especially silk |
| 7 | Latin | sericus | Of or pertaining to the Seres or the Chinese;... |
| 8 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -ικός | of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | -κός | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |