german silver

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
German silver
    n 1: a silver-white alloy containing copper and zinc and nickel
         [syn: {nickel silver}, {German silver}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
German \Ger"man\, a. [L. Germanus. See {German}, n.]
   Of or pertaining to Germany.
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   {German Baptists}. See {Dunker}.

   {German bit}, a wood-boring tool, having a long elliptical
      pod and a scew point.

   {German carp} (Zool.), the crucian carp.

   {German millet} (Bot.), a kind of millet ({Setaria Italica},
      var.), whose seed is sometimes used for food.

   {German paste}, a prepared food for caged birds.

   {German process} (Metal.), the process of reducing copper ore
      in a blast furnace, after roasting, if necessary.
      --Raymond.

   {German sarsaparilla}, a substitute for sarsaparilla extract.
      

   {German sausage}, a polony, or gut stuffed with meat partly
      cooked.

   {German silver} (Chem.), a silver-white alloy, hard and
      tough, but malleable and ductile, and quite permanent in
      the air. It contains nickel, copper, and zinc in varying
      proportions, and was originally made from old copper slag
      at Henneberg. A small amount of iron is sometimes added to
      make it whiter and harder. It is essentially identical
      with the Chinese alloy {packfong}. It was formerly much
      used for tableware, knife handles, frames, cases, bearings
      of machinery, etc., but is now largely superseded by other
      white alloys.

   {German steel} (Metal.), a metal made from bog iron ore in a
      forge, with charcoal for fuel.

   {German text} (Typog.), a character resembling modern German
      type, used in English printing for ornamental headings,
      etc., as in the words,
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   Note: This line is German Text.

   {German tinder}. See {Amadou}.
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from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Silver \Sil"ver\ (s[i^]l"v[~e]r), 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.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. Coin made of silver; silver money.
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   3. Anything having the luster or appearance of silver.
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   4. The color of silver.
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   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.
         [1913 Webster]

   {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; -- also called {fulminate of
          silver}. 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}.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Nickel \Nick"el\, n. [G., fr. Sw. nickel, abbrev. from Sw.
   kopparnickel copper-nickel, a name given in derision, as it
   was thought to be a base ore of copper. The origin of the
   second part of the word is uncertain. Cf. {Kupfer-nickel},
   {Copper-nickel}.]
   1. (Chem.) A bright silver-white metallic element of atomic
      number 28. It is of the iron group, and is hard,
      malleable, and ductile. It occurs combined with sulphur in
      millerite, with arsenic in the mineral niccolite, and with
      arsenic and sulphur in nickel glance. Symbol Ni. Atomic
      weight 58.70.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: On account of its permanence in air and inertness to
         oxidation, it is used in the smaller coins, for plating
         iron, brass, etc., for chemical apparatus, and in
         certain alloys, as german silver. It is magnetic, and
         is very frequently accompanied by cobalt, both being
         found in meteoric iron.
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   2. A small coin made of or containing nickel; esp., a
      five-cent piece. [Colloq. U.S.]
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   {Nickel silver}, an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc; --
      usually called {german silver}; called also {argentan}.
      [1913 Webster]
    

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