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.

  Stephanite \Steph"an*ite\, n. [So named after the Archduke
     Stephan, mining director of Austria.] (Min.)
     A sulphide of antimony and silver of an iron-black color and
     metallic luster; called also black silver, and brittle
     silver ore.

  Black \Black\, a. [OE. blak, AS. bl[ae]c; akin to Icel. blakkr
     dark, swarthy, Sw. bl["a]ck ink, Dan. bl[ae]k, OHG. blach,
     LG. & D. blaken to burn with a black smoke. Not akin to AS.
     bl[=a]c, E. bleak pallid. ?98.]
     1. Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the
        color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark
        color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a
        color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes.
  
              O night, with hue so black!           --Shak.
  
     2. In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in
        darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the
        heavens black with clouds.
  
              I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud.
                                                    --Shak.
  
     3. Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness;
        destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked;
        cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible. ``This day's black
        fate.'' ``Black villainy.'' ``Arise, black vengeance.''
        ``Black day.'' ``Black despair.'' --Shak.
  
     4. Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen;
        foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks.
  
     Note: Black is often used in self-explaining compound words;
           as, black-eyed, black-faced, black-haired,
           black-visaged.
  
     Black act, the English statute 9 George I, which makes it a
        felony to appear armed in any park or warren, etc., or to
        hunt or steal deer, etc., with the face blackened or
        disguised. Subsequent acts inflicting heavy penalties for
        malicious injuries to cattle and machinery have been
        called black acts.
  
     Black angel (Zo["o]l.), a fish of the West Indies and
        Florida ({Holacanthus tricolor), with the head and tail
        yellow, and the middle of the body black.
  
     Black antimony (Chem.), the black sulphide of antimony,
        Sb2S3, used in pyrotechnics, etc.
  
     Black bear (Zo["o]l.), the common American bear ({Ursus
        Americanus).
  
     Black beast. See B[^e]te noire.
  
     Black beetle (Zo["o]l.), the common large cockroach
        ({Blatta orientalis).
  
     Black and blue, the dark color of a bruise in the flesh,
        which is accompanied with a mixture of blue. ``To pinch
        the slatterns black and blue.'' --Hudibras.
  
     Black bonnet (Zo["o]l.), the black-headed bunting ({Embriza
        Sch[oe]niclus) of Europe.
  
     Black canker, a disease in turnips and other crops,
        produced by a species of caterpillar.
  
     Black cat (Zo["o]l.), the fisher, a quadruped of North
        America allied to the sable, but larger. See Fisher.
  
     Black cattle, any bovine cattle reared for slaughter, in
        distinction from dairy cattle. [Eng.]
  
     Black cherry. See under Cherry.
  
     Black cockatoo (Zo["o]l.), the palm cockatoo. See
        Cockatoo.
  
     Black copper. Same as Melaconite.
  
     Black currant. (Bot.) See Currant.
  
     Black diamond. (Min.) See Carbonado.
  
     Black draught (Med.), a cathartic medicine, composed of
        senna and magnesia.
  
     Black drop (Med.), vinegar of opium; a narcotic preparation
        consisting essentially of a solution of opium in vinegar.
        
  
     Black earth, mold; earth of a dark color. --Woodward.
  
     Black flag, the flag of a pirate, often bearing in white a
        skull and crossbones; a signal of defiance.
  
     Black+flea+(Zo["o]l.),+a+flea+beetle+({Haltica+nemorum">Black flea (Zo["o]l.), a flea beetle ({Haltica nemorum)
        injurious to turnips.
  
     Black flux, a mixture of carbonate of potash and charcoal,
        obtained by deflagrating tartar with half its weight of
        niter. --Brande & C.
  
     Black fly. (Zo["o]l.)
        (a) In the United States, a small, venomous, two-winged
            fly of the genus Simulium of several species,
            exceedingly abundant and troublesome in the northern
            forests. The larv[ae] are aquatic.
        (b) A black plant louse, as the bean aphis ({A. fab[ae]).
            
  
     Black Forest [a translation of G. Schwarzwald], a forest in
        Baden and W["u]rtemburg, in Germany; a part of the ancient
        Hercynian forest.
  
     Black game, or Black grouse. (Zo["o]l.) See Blackcock,
        Grouse, and Heath grouse.
  
     Black grass (Bot.), a grasslike rush of the species Juncus
        Gerardi, growing on salt marshes, and making good hay.
  
     Black gum (Bot.), an American tree, the tupelo or
        pepperidge. See Tupelo.
  
     Black Hamburg (grape) (Bot.), a sweet and juicy variety of
        dark purple or ``black'' grape.
  
     Black horse (Zo["o]l.), a fish of the Mississippi valley
        ({Cycleptus elongatus), of the sucker family; the
        Missouri sucker.
  
     Black lemur (Zo["o]l.), the Lemurniger of Madagascar; the
        acoumbo of the natives.
  
     Black list, a list of persons who are for some reason
        thought deserving of censure or punishment; -- esp. a list
        of persons stigmatized as insolvent or untrustworthy, made
        for the protection of tradesmen or employers. See
        Blacklist, v. t.
  
     Black manganese (Chem.), the black oxide of manganese,
        MnO2.
  
     Black Maria, the close wagon in which prisoners are carried
        to or from jail.
  
     Black martin (Zo["o]l.), the chimney swift. See Swift.
  
     Black moss (Bot.), the common so-called long moss of the
        southern United States. See Tillandsia.
  
     Black oak. See under Oak.
  
     Black ocher. See Wad.
  
     Black pigment, a very fine, light carbonaceous substance,
        or lampblack, prepared chiefly for the manufacture of
        printers' ink. It is obtained by burning common coal tar.
        
  
     Black plate, sheet iron before it is tinned. --Knight.
  
     Black quarter, malignant anthrax with engorgement of a
        shoulder or quarter, etc., as of an ox.
  
     Black rat (Zo["o]l.), one of the species of rats ({Mus
        rattus), commonly infesting houses.
  
     Black rent. See Blackmail, n., 3.
  
     Black rust, a disease of wheat, in which a black, moist
        matter is deposited in the fissures of the grain.
  
     Black sheep, one in a family or company who is unlike the
        rest, and makes trouble.
  
     Black silver. (Min.) See under Silver.
  
     Black and tan, black mixed or spotted with tan color or
        reddish brown; -- used in describing certain breeds of
        dogs.
  
     Black tea. See under Tea.
  
     Black tin (Mining), tin ore (cassiterite), when dressed,
        stamped and washed, ready for smelting. It is in the form
        of a black powder, like fine sand. --Knight.
  
     Black walnut. See under Walnut.
  
     Black warrior (Zo["o]l.), an American hawk ({Buteo
        Harlani).
  
     Syn: Dark; murky; pitchy; inky; somber; dusky; gloomy; swart;
          Cimmerian; ebon; atrocious.