argentina

[From Lat. argentum = silver.) A genus of fishes belonging to the Salmonidæ, or Salmon family. Linnæus founded it for the Argentine, described below. ar-gen-tine a. & s. [In Fr. argent in; Port. & Ital. argent i no.] A. As adjective: 1. Pertaining to silver. 2. Made in whole or in part of silver. "With an antick deaurate with letters argentine." Holmes: Fall of Rebellion. (Boucher.) 3. Silvery in aspect. 4. Sounding with a tone like that of silver. B. As substantive: 1. Min . [In Ger. & Fr. argent in .] A mineral, a pearly lamellar variety of Calcite. It is of a white, greyish, yellowish, or reddish colour. [CALCITE.] 2. Zool . Any species of the genus Argentina. Spec ., a small fish of brilliant aspect, the Scopelus humboldtii of Cuvier, and the Argentina sphyræna of Pennant and Fleming. It belongs to the Salmon ide. Yarrell, in 1836, mentioned that it had been taken three times on the British coasts. 3. Geog .: An inhabitant of some one of the provinces belonging to the Argentine Con federation ; a La Platan. Argentine Confederation or Argentine Republic: A South American Republic-that of La Plata-lying along and south from the great La Plata river. Its capital is Buenos Ayres. Though there are silver mines within this vast region, yet it is not after them that the territory is named. Argentine, from Sp. argento silver, is simply a synonym for plat a = silver, in the term Rio de la Plata = river of silver. Under the reflection of the sun's rays, every river presents a silvery aspect, the Rio de la Plata in this respect not surpa ing a multitude of others.