Adjacent Words

German silver definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a silver-white alloy containing copper and zinc and nickel [syn: nickel silver, German silver]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1830 a silver-white alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nickel Nick"el, n. [G., fr. Sw. nickel, abbrev. from Sw. kopparnickel copper-nickel, a name given in derision, as it was thought to be a base ore of copper. The origin of the second part of the word is uncertain. Cf. Kupfer-nickel, Copper-nickel.] 1. (Chem.) A bright silver-white metallic element. It is of the iron group, and is hard, malleable, and ductile. It occurs combined with sulphur in millerite, with arsenic in the mineral niccolite, and with arsenic and sulphur in nickel glance. Symbol Ni. Atomic weight 58.6. Note: On account of its permanence in air and inertness to oxidation, it is used in the smaller coins, for plating iron, brass, etc., for chemical apparatus, and in certain alloys, as german silver. It is magnetic, and is very frequently accompanied by cobalt, both being found in meteoric iron. 2. A small coin made of or containing nickel; esp., a five-cent piece. [Colloq. U.S.] Nickel silver, an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc; -- usually called german silver; called also argentan.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Silver Sil"ver, n. [OE. silver, selver, seolver, AS. seolfor, siolfur, siolufr, silofr, sylofr; akin to OS. silubar, OFries. selover, D. zilver, LG. sulver, OHG. silabar, silbar, G. silber, Icel. silfr, Sw. silfver, Dan. s["o]lv, Goth. silubr, Russ. serebro, Lith. sidabras; of unknown origin.] 1. (Chem.) A soft white metallic element, sonorous, ductile, very malleable, and capable of a high degree of polish. It is found native, and also combined with sulphur, arsenic, antimony, chlorine, etc., in the minerals argentite, proustite, pyrargyrite, ceragyrite, etc. Silver is one of the ``noble'' metals, so-called, not being easily oxidized, and is used for coin, jewelry, plate, and a great variety of articles. Symbol Ag (Argentum). Atomic weight 107.7. Specific gravity 10.5. Note: Silver was known under the name of luna to the ancients and also to the alchemists. Some of its compounds, as the halogen salts, are remarkable for the effect of light upon them, and are used in photography. 2. Coin made of silver; silver money. 3. Anything having the luster or appearance of silver. 4. The color of silver. Note: Silver is used in the formation of many compounds of obvious meaning; as, silver-armed, silver-bright, silver-buskined, silver-coated, silver-footed, silver-haired, silver-headed, silver-mantled, silver-plated, silver-slippered, silver-sounding, silver-studded, silver-tongued, silver-white. See Silver, a. Black silver (Min.), stephanite; -- called also brittle silver ore, or brittle silver glance. Fulminating silver. (Chem.) (a) A black crystalline substance, Ag2O.(NH3)2, obtained by dissolving silver oxide in aqua ammonia. When dry it explodes violently on the slightest percussion. (b) Silver fulminate, a white crystalline substance, Ag2C2N2O2, obtained by adding alcohol to a solution of silver nitrate. When dry it is violently explosive. German silver. (Chem.) See under German. Gray silver. (Min.) See Freieslebenite. Horn silver. (Min.) See Cerargyrite. King's silver. (O. Eng. Law) See Postfine. Red silver, or Ruby silver. (Min.) See Proustite, and Pyrargyrite. Silver beater, one who beats silver into silver leaf or silver foil. Silver glance, or Vitreous silver. (Min.) See Argentine.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

German Ger"man, a. [L. Germanus. See German, n.] Of or pertaining to Germany. German Baptists. See Dunker. German bit, a wood-boring tool, having a long elliptical pod and a scew point. German carp (Zo["o]l.), the crucian carp. German millet (Bot.), a kind of millet (Setaria Italica, var.), whose seed is sometimes used for food. German paste, a prepared food for caged birds. German process (Metal.), the process of reducing copper ore in a blast furnace, after roasting, if necessary. --Raymond. German sarsaparilla, a substitute for sarsaparilla extract. German sausage, a polony, or gut stuffed with meat partly cooked. German silver (Chem.), a silver-white alloy, hard and tough, but malleable and ductile, and quite permanent in the air. It contains nickel, copper, and zinc in varying proportions, and was originally made from old copper slag at Henneberg. A small amount of iron is sometimes added to make it whiter and harder. It is essentially identical with the Chinese alloy packfong. It was formerly much used for tableware, knife handles, frames, cases, bearings of machinery, etc., but is now largely superseded by other white alloys. German steel (Metal.), a metal made from bog iron ore in a forge, with charcoal for fuel. German text (Typog.), a character resembling modern German type, used in English printing for ornamental headings, etc., as in the words, Note: This line is German Text. German tinder. See Amadou.