SILVER
A rare white metal, harder than gold, softer than copper, valued for its luster and malleability, silver has long been valued as a precious metal.
Middle English silver, from Old English seolfor, Mercian sylfur, Northumbrian sulfer, “the metal silver; silver coin, money,” from Proto-Germanic *silabur- (source also of Old Saxon silvbar, Old Frisian selover, Old Norse silfr, Middle Dutch silver, Dutch zilver, Old High German silabar, German silber “silver; money,” Gothic silubr “silver”), which is of uncertain origin.
It seems to be Germanic/Balto-Slavic (source also of Old Church Slavonic s(u)rebo, Russian serebro, Polish srebro, Lithuanian sidabras “silver”), but has long been presumed to be a Wanderwort (a loan-word that has spread among several languages) displacing the usual IE word for the metal (argent Latin argentum).
Basque zilharr “silver” usually is considered a loan-word from West Germanic, but the Germanic form lately has been compared to old Celtic words used in Spain, and because the rest of Celtic uses the argentum word, this suggests the borrowing might be in the other direction, and Germanic word might be from “a Hispano-Celtic innovation due to an Iberian donor language. In this connection, the old comparison of Basque zilharr is attractive” [Boutkan].
- Symbol: Ag
- Color: white
- Density: 10.49 g/cm³
- Atomic mass: 107.87
- Atomic number: 47
- Melting point: 961.78 °C
Notable properties
- The most electrically conductive metal.
- The most thermal conductive metal.
- Reflects more light than any other metal.
Uses
- Because of its comparative scarcity, brilliant white colour, malleability, ductility and resistance to atmospheric oxidation, silver has long been used in the manufacture of coins, ornaments, and jewelry.
- Due to it’s high electrical and thermal conductivity silver is used in fabricating printed electrical circuits and as a vapour-deposited coating for electronic conductors; it is also alloyed with such elements as nickel or palladium for use in electrical contacts.
- Silver also finds use as a catalyst for its unique ability to convert ethylene to ethylene oxide, which is a precursor of many organic compounds.