Silver \Sil"ver\, a.
1. Of or pertaining to silver; made of silver; as, silver
leaf; a silver cup.
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2. Resembling silver. Specifically:
(a) Bright; resplendent; white. "Silver hair." --Shak.
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Others, on silver lakes and rivers, bathed
Their downy breast. --Milton.
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(b) Precious; costly.
(c) Giving a clear, ringing sound soft and clear. "Silver
voices." --Spenser.
(d) Sweet; gentle; peaceful. "Silver slumber." --Spenser.
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American silver fir (Bot.), the balsam fir. See under
Balsam.
Silver age (Roman Lit.), the latter part (a. d. 14-180) of
the classical period of Latinity, -- the time of writers
of inferior purity of language, as compared with those of
the previous golden age, so-called.
Silver-bell tree (Bot.), an American shrub or small tree
(Halesia tetraptera) with white bell-shaped flowers in
clusters or racemes; the snowdrop tree.
Silver bush (Bot.), a shrubby leguminous plant (Anthyllis
Barba-Jovis) of Southern Europe, having silvery foliage.
Silver chub (Zool.), the fallfish.
Silver eel. (Zool.)
(a) The cutlass fish.
(b) A pale variety of the common eel.
Silver fir (Bot.), a coniferous tree (Abies pectinata)
found in mountainous districts in the middle and south of
Europe, where it often grows to the height of 100 or 150
feet. It yields Burgundy pitch and Strasburg turpentine.
Silver foil, foil made of silver.
Silver fox (Zool.), a variety of the common fox (Vulpes
vulpes, variety argenteus) found in the northern parts of
Asia, Europe, and America. Its fur is nearly black, with
silvery tips, and is highly valued. Called also black
fox, and silver-gray fox.
Silver gar. (Zool.) See Billfish
(a) .
Silver grain (Bot.), the lines or narrow plates of cellular
tissue which pass from the pith to the bark of an
exogenous stem; the medullary rays. In the wood of the oak
they are much larger than in that of the beech, maple,
pine, cherry, etc.
Silver grebe (Zool.), the red-throated diver. See Illust.
under Diver.
Silver hake (Zool.), the American whiting.
Silver leaf, leaves or sheets made of silver beaten very
thin.
Silver lunge (Zool.), the namaycush.
Silver moonfish.(Zool.) See Moonfish
(b) .
Silver moth (Zool.), a lepisma.
Silver owl (Zool.), the barn owl.
Silver perch (Zool.), the mademoiselle, 2.
Silver pheasant (Zool.), any one of several species of
beautiful crested and long-tailed Asiatic pheasants, of
the genus Euplocamus. They have the tail and more or
less of the upper parts silvery white. The most common
species (Euplocamus nychtemerus) is native of China.
Silver plate,
(a) domestic utensils made of a base metal coated with
silver.
(b) a plating of silver on a base metal.
Silver plover (Zool.), the knot.
Silver salmon (Zool.), a salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
native of both coasts of the North Pacific. It ascends all
the American rivers as far south as the Sacramento. Called
also kisutch, whitefish, and white salmon.
Silver shell (Zool.), a marine bivalve of the genus Anomia.
See Anomia.
Silver steel, an alloy of steel with a very small
proportion of silver.
Silver stick, a title given to the title field officer of
the Life Guards when on duty at the palace. [Eng.]
--Thackeray.
Silver tree (Bot.), a South African tree (Leucadendron
argenteum) with long, silvery, silky leaves.
Silver trout, (Zool.) See Trout.
Silver wedding. See under Wedding.
Silver whiting (Zool.), a marine sciaenoid food fish
(Menticirrus littoralis) native of the Southern United
States; -- called also surf whiting.
Silver witch (Zool.), A lepisma.
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Pheasant \Pheas"ant\ (f[e^]z"ant), n. [OE. fesant, fesaunt, OF.
faisant, faisan, F. faisan, L. phasianus, Gr. fasiano`s (sc.
'o`rnis) the Phasian bird, pheasant, fr. Fa`sis a river in
Colchis or Pontus.]
1. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of large gallinaceous
birds of the genus Phasianus, and many other genera of
the family Phasianid[ae], found chiefly in Asia.
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Note: The
common pheasant, or English pheasant (Phasianus
Colchicus) is now found over most of temperate Europe,
but was introduced from Asia. The
ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus torquatus) and the
green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor) have been
introduced into Oregon. The
golden pheasant (Thaumalea picta) is one of the most
beautiful species. The
silver pheasant (Euplocamus nychthemerus) of China, and
several related species from Southern Asia, are very
beautiful.
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2. (Zool.) The ruffed grouse. [Southern U.S.]
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Note: Various other birds are locally called pheasants, as
the lyre bird, the leipoa, etc.
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Fireback pheasant. See Fireback.
Gold pheasant, or Golden pheasant (Zool.), a Chinese
pheasant (Thaumalea picta), having rich, varied colors.
The crest is amber-colored, the rump is golden yellow, and
the under parts are scarlet.
Mountain pheasant (Zool.), the ruffed grouse. [Local, U.S.]
Pheasant coucal (Zool.), a large Australian cuckoo
(Centropus phasianus). The general color is black, with
chestnut wings and brown tail. Called also pheasant
cuckoo. The name is also applied to other allied species.
Pheasant duck. (Zool.)
(a) The pintail.
(b) The hooded merganser.
Pheasant parrot (Zool.), a large and beautiful Australian
parrakeet (Platycercus Adelaidensis). The male has the
back black, the feathers margined with yellowish blue and
scarlet, the quills deep blue, the wing coverts and cheeks
light blue, the crown, sides of the neck, breast, and
middle of the belly scarlet.
Pheasant's eye. (Bot.)
(a) A red-flowered herb (Adonis autumnalis) of the
Crowfoot family; -- called also pheasant's-eye
Adonis.
(b) The garden pink (Dianthus plumarius); -- called also
Pheasant's-eye pink.
Pheasant shell (Zool.), any marine univalve shell of the
genus Phasianella, of which numerous species are found
in tropical seas. The shell is smooth and usually richly
colored, the colors often forming blotches like those of a
pheasant.
Pheasant wood. (Bot.) Same as Partridge wood
(a), under Partridge.
Sea pheasant (Zool.), the pintail.
Water pheasant. (Zool.)
(a) The sheldrake.
(b) The hooded merganser.
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