Abba hillel silver

abba hillel
[ab-uh] /ˈæb ə/ (show ipa), 1893–1963, u.s. rabbi, born in lithuania.
noun

a very ductile malleable brilliant greyish-white element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. it occurs free and in argent-te and other ores: used in jewellery, tableware, coinage, electrical contacts, and in electroplating. its compounds are used in photography. symbol: ag; atomic no: 47; atomic wt: 107.8682; valency: 1 or 2; relative density: 10.50; melting pt: 961.93°c; boiling pt: 2163°c
(as modifier): a silver coin, related adjective argent

coin made of, or having the appearance of, this metal
cutlery, whether made of silver or not
any household articles made of silver
(photog) any of a number of silver compounds used either as photosensitive substances in emulsions or as sensitizers

a brilliant or light greyish-white colour
(as adjective): silver hair

short for silver medal
adjective
well-articulated: silver speech
(prenominal) denoting the 25th in a series, esp an annual series: a silver wedding anniversary
verb
(transitive) to coat with silver or a silvery substance: to silver a spoon
to become or cause to become silvery in colour
to become or cause to become elderly
n.

old english seolfor, mercian sylfur “silver; money,” from proto-germanic -silubra- (cf. old saxon silvbar, old frisian selover, old norse silfr, middle dutch silver, dutch zilver, old high german silabar, german silber “silver; money,” gothic silubr “silver”), from a common germanic/balto-slavic term (cf. old church slavonic s(u)rebo, russian serebro, polish srebro, lithuanian sidabras “silver”) of uncertain relationship and origin. according to klein’s sources, possibly from a language of asia minor, perhaps from akkadian sarpu “silver,” literally “refined silver,” related to sarapu “to refine, smelt.”

as an adjective from late old english (cf. silvern). as a color name from late 15c. of voices, words, etc., from 1520s in reference to the metal’s pleasing resonance; silver-tongued is from 1590s. the silver age (1560s) was a phrase used by greek and roman poets. chemical abbreviation ag is from latin argentum “silver,” from the usual pie word for the metal (see argent), which is missing in germanic.
v.

“to cover or plate with silver,” mid-15c., from silver (n.). meaning “to tinge with gray” (of hair) is from c.1600. related: silvered; silvering.

silver sil·ver (sĭl’vər)
n.
symbol ag
a l-strous ductile malleable metallic element having the highest thermal and electrical conductivity of the metals and used in dental alloys. atomic number 47; atomic weight 107.868; melting point 961.8°c; boiling point 2,162°c; specific gravity 10.50; valence 1, 2.
silver
(sĭl’vər)
symbol ag
a soft, shiny, white metallic element that is found in many ores, especially together with copper, lead, and zinc. it conducts heat and electricity better than any other metal. silver is used in photography and in making electrical circuits and conductors. atomic number 47; atomic weight 107.868; melting point 960.8°c; boiling point 2,212°c; specific gravity 10.50; valence 1, 2. see also sterling silver. see periodic table. see note at element.

adjective

wealthy; affluent: a silk-stocking neighborhood (1812+)

used for a great variety of purposes, as may be judged from the frequent references to it in scripture. it first appears in commerce in gen. 13:2; 23:15, 16. it was largely employed for making vessels for the sanctuary in the wilderness (ex. 26:19; 27:17; num. 7:13, 19; 10:2). there is no record of its having been found in syria or palestine. it was brought in large quant-ties by foreign merchants from abroad, from spain and india and other countries probably.

in addition to the idiom beginning with
silver
also see:

born with a silver spoon
cross someone’s palm with silver
hand to on a silver platter