silk (silk)

and a. [ for 'silk,' see say4.] I. n. 1. A fine soft thread produced chiefly by the larvæ of various bombycid moths, especially of Bombyx ( Sericaria ) mor i, known as silkworms, feeding on the leaves of the mulberry and several other trees. (See Bombyx and silkworm, and compare gut, 4.) Silk is the strongest, most lustrous, and most valuable of textile fibers. The thread is composed of several finer threads drawn by the worm from two large organs or glands con different genera of the family Saturniidæ, particularly the tu er-worm of India, Attacus mylitta, the yam a-mai of Japan, Antheræa yam a - mai, etc., feeding on the oak and other plants.