Emily Dickinson Lexicon

silence (-d), v. [see silence, n.]

1. Hush; cause to be quiet; compel to cease speaking.
2. Confound; dumbfound; render speechless; [fig.] put to rest.

silent (-er), adj. [L.]

1. Quiet; hushed; noiseless; having no sound; [fig.] empty; lonely; solitary; without communication with others.
2. Calm; tranquil; undisturbed; peaceful; pacific; not stormy.
3. Mute; dumb; not able to speak.
4. Concise; habitually taciturn; verbally careful; not inclined to much talking; [fig.] wise; discreet; circumspect.
5. Not loud; [fig.] modest; not boasting of itself.
6. Still; not flowing; not running; without a ripple; [fig.] not noisy; not babbling; not overly loquacious; [metaphor] reclusive.

silent, n. [see silent, adj.]

Quiet folks; ones who do not speak; people who keep their thoughts to themselves.

silently, adv. [see silent, adj.]

Soundlessly; quietly; without noise; without a ripple; [fig.] indiscernibly; effortlessly.

silk, n. [OE seoloc; poss. < L. or Gk. 'silken'.]

1. Thread; filament of a cocoon.
2. Tassels; inner strands of the female maize flower.

silken, adj. [see silk, n.]

Smooth; fluent; suave; debonair; [fig.] deceptive; misleading.

sill (-s), n. [OE syll.]

1. Window frame; bottom border of a window opening.
2. Arm; base; low-hanging offshoot; horizontal extension of wood; [kenning: “Amber Sill”] oak tree branch; bird's nest in an oak tree.
3. Threshold; [fig.] horizon.
4. Foundation; groundwork; [fig.] basic premise.
5. Cornerstone; secure base; firm footing.

silly, adj. [ME, corr. with seely < OE, 'luck, happiness'.]

Trifling; foolish; unschooled; [amelioration] innocent; childlike; blessed.

silver, adj. [see silver, n.] (webplay: calmness, head).

1. Pale; argent; lustrous; ash-gray; [kenning “silver fleeces”] white clouds.
2. White; woolly.
3. Shining; gleaming; like molten argent metal.
4. Musical; lyrical; eloquent; [fig.] gentle; soft-sounding; [kenning “silver strife”] melodious birdsong.
5. Shiny; glossy; glistening; [fig.] exquisite; [kenning “silver apron”] filigreed foliage.
6. Polished; burnished; made of buffed leather.
7. Smooth; silky; flowing; not making waves; without leaving a trace.
8. Persuasive; convincing; crooning; sweet-sounding; softly singing.
9. Fluid; wet; liquid; aquatic; swimming.
10. Pearly; opalescent; iridescent; [kenning “Silver Ball”] sticky white substance for building delicate webs.
11. Light; brilliance; illumination.
12. Moonlit; nocturnal.
13. Made of precious metal; [fig.] superior; of highest quality; [metaphor] good books; great works; fine arts; belles-lettres.
14. Crystalline; clear; lucid; translucent; [fig.] gentle; genteel; refined; cool and lovely; poised but pallid; [metaphor] firm; static; motionless.
15. Icy; frosty; freezing; [kenning “Silver Fracture”] ice; frost; sheet of shining crystallized frozen water.
16. Memorable; memorializing.
17. Metallic; [fig.] ringing; resounding; reverberating.
18. Phrase. “Gold and Silver”: refining; cleansing from impurities.

silver, adv. [see silver, n.]

Melodiously; fluently; softly; in splendid birdsong.