sterling silver
7
3.6
- noun
- /ˈstɜr.lɪŋ ˈsɪl.vər/
- Specialized
:
plata esterlina
- The Cartier sterling silver pillbox.
- sterling silver earrings
- sterling silver jewelry
- sterling silver spoon
Examples
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Laila serves him the stuffed squash with the sterling silver spoon her children gave her for her fortieth birthday.
Fiction book (1992) -
And she'd say, "No, I want a set of sterling-silver flatware."
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This watch is sterling silver.
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And I found a sterling silver spoon.
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And that lamp, those are real sterling silver.
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Those go with the sterling silver ashtrays on the table.
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Toe and ankle jewelry made from sterling silver is bought around the world.
Blog text (28) -
Lindsay has bought Veronica a pair of sterling silver earrings shaped like hearts.
Fiction book (1993) -
We ate on hand-painted china, used sterling silver dinnerware, and had our food served on sterling silver platters.
Fiction book (1993) -
The necklace she wore was made of sterling silver, beautiful and shiny.
Synonyms
241
1.0
Made from a shiny white metal often used for coins and jewellery
How Silver-Colored
- Specialized
7
3.6
29
1.4
- Specialized
91
1.0
1
8.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'sterling' (of the highest standard) + 'silver' (the metal), so a learner who knows both words can infer it means high-quality silver even if they do not know the exact alloy percentage. It is a non-idiomatic, descriptive noun phrase rather than a figurative or unpredictable expression.
Etymology
One popular story says the name sterling silver comes from old merchants from the east whose silver coins were always trusted, so people used 'sterling' to mean 'genuine' or very good. So sterling silver now means a high-quality, reliable kind of silver used for coins, jewellery, and fine utensils.