Silver or metallic gray is a

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

tone resembling gray that is a representation of the color of polished

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

The visual sensation usually associated with the metal silver is its metallic shine. This cannot be reproduced by a simple solid

because the shiny effect is due to the material's brightness varying with the surface angle to the light source. In addition, there is no mechanism for showing metallic or fluorescent colors on a

computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

without resorting to rendering software that simulates the action of light on a shiny surface. Consequently, in art and in

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

, one would typically use a metallic paint that glitters like real silver. A matte gray color could also be used to represent silver.

History

The first recorded use of ''silver'' as a color name in English was in 1481. In heraldry, the word argent is used, derived from Latin ''argentum'' over Medieval French ''argent''.

Silver

Displayed at right is the web color silver. Since version 3.2 of

HTML Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It defines the content and structure of web content. It is often assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets ( ...

"silver" is a name for one of the 16 basic- VGA-colors. *

-example: <body bgcolor="silver"> * CSS-example: body

Variations of silver

Silver (Crayola)

Crayola crayons have a color called ''silver'' which is a pale tone of silver color. This silver has been a Crayola color since 1903. Crayola's silver is not a neutral

grayscale In digital photography, computer-generated imagery, and colorimetry, a greyscale (more common in Commonwealth English) or grayscale (more common in American English) image is one in which the value of each pixel is a single sample (signal), s ...

color but a warm gray with a very slight tinge of orange-red.

Silver pink

The color silver pink is displayed on the right. The color name ''silver pink'' first came into use in 1948. The source of this color is the ''Plochere Color System'', a color system formulated in 1948 that is widely used by

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

s.Plochere Color System

Silver sand

On the right is displayed the color silver sand. The color name ''silver sand'' for this silver-tone has been used since 2001 when it was promulgated as one of the colors on th
Xona.com Color List

Silver chalice

On the right is displayed the color silver chalice. The color name ''silver chalice'' for this tone of silver has been in use since 2001 when it was promulgated as one of the colors on th
Xona.com Color List

Roman silver

On the right is displayed the color Roman silver. ''Roman silver'', a blue-gray tone of silver, is one of the colors on th
Resene Color List

Old silver

At right is displayed the color old silver. ''Old silver'' is a color formulated to resemble tarnished silver. The first recorded use of ''old silver'' as a color name in English was in 1905. The normalized color coordinates for old silver are identical to battleship gray.

Sonic silver

Sonic silver is a tone of silver included in Metallic FX crayons, specialty crayons formulated by Crayola in 2001.

Silver in nature

Plants Plants are the eukaryotes that form the kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria to produce sugars f ...

* A silver birch is a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

in the birch family. The leaves are whitish silver on the underside. * A silver fir is a valuable

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

that originated in Europe.Mish, Frederic C., Editor in Chief ''Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary'' Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.:1984--Merriam-Webster p. 1098 * A silver maple is characterized by lacy, delicate leaves that are lighter grayish-green on the underside. These trees get their name from the shimmering effect the two-toned leaves give when fluttering in a breeze.

Animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a ...

* A silverfish is an

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

which may eat

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...

. * Many

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

have a silver color. * A silver fox is a "genetically determined phase of the common

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

in which the pelt is

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

tipped with

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

". * A silverback gorilla is an adult male gorilla.

Silver in culture

Aphorisms * The expression " every cloud has a silver lining" is used to point out that something good can often come out of even a bad situation. * The expression "silver-tongued" refers to a person who possesses the power of fluent, persuasive, eloquent, and witty speech. * The expression "born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth" means someone is born into a wealthy or well-to-do family.

Astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

* The Chinese name ''Silver River'' (銀河) is used throughout

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

, including

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

to denote the Milky Way Galaxy (An alternative name for the Milky Way in ancient China, especially in poems, is "Heavenly Han River"(天汉).). In Japanese, "Silver River" (銀河 ''ginga'') means galaxies in general, and the Milky Way is called the "Silver River System" (銀河系 ''gingakei'') or the "River of Heaven" (天の川 ''Amanokawa or Amanogawa'').

Film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

* The silver screen is a poetic name for a motion picture screen. This metaphor derived from the early 20th century when all movies were filmed in black and white, and some screens of the era used metallic silver as a reflecting agent. * Science fiction films often show spaceship or

starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1 ...

crews wearing silver body suits. * '' Silver City'' is a 2004 political satire and drama film written and directed by John Sayles.

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

is referred to as the ''silver state'' because of the historically rich silver mines located there, such as the Comstock Lode.

Gerontology Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, culture, cultural, psychology, psychological, cognitive, and biology, biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Ancient Greek, Greek ('), meaning "o ...

* The aging of the baby boomers has been called the " silver tsunami", although this phrase is controversial due to its ageist connotations. * When someone 55 or older gets

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

d, it is called a "silver divorce".

Heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

* In

there is no distinction between silver and

, represented as " argent". * In English heraldry argent (silver) or white signified brightness, purity, virtue, or innocence.

Literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

* The ''Silver Cord'' is a 1926 play by Sidney Howard about the emotional tie between a

mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

and a son, and the term "silver cord" is sometimes used to represent this tie. * '' Silver Child'' is the first in '' The Silver Sequence'' is a fantasy brook trilogy by Cliff McNish consisting of ''Silver Child'', ''Silver City'' and ''Silver World''. * '' The Silver Chair'' is a book in

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

's allegorical fantasy series ''

The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...

''.

Marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

* The 25th

wedding anniversary A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date that a wedding took place. Couples often mark the occasion by celebrating their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for partic ...

is called the ''silver anniversary''; guests at a 25th wedding anniversary party are expected to bring gifts made of silver. By extension, the 25th anniversary of any significant event is called its ''Silver Jubilee''.

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

* The Silver Star is the third-highest decoration that can be awarded by the U.S. Military.

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

* Silver Apples was a psychedelic

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

duo from New York City that formed in 1967. * Silverhead was a British band, led by singer/actor Michael Des Barres. They were a part of the glam rock music scene of the early 1970s. * Silver Convention was a popular

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

group. * Silverchair is a contemporary Australian rock band. * ''Silver Fox'' is a song by RJD2 from his 2002 album '' Deadringer''. Panelology * The

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

is a popular

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

character. * Silver Fox is a character in the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

universe.

Parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, teleportation, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry (paranormal), psychometry) and other paranormal cla ...

* Those who claim to have had

out-of-body experience An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world as if from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more common ...

s sometimes report that they observe a silver cord connecting their astral body to their

physical body In natural language and physical science, a physical object or material object (or simply an object or body) is a wiktionary:contiguous, contiguous collection of matter, within a defined boundary (or surface), that exists in space and time. Usual ...

Politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

* The Silver Shirts was an American

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

organization during the 1930s. Real estate * The Silverdome, a

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

constructed in 1975 for $55,000,000 (about $220,000,000 in 2009 dollars), sold in 2009 for $583,000, symbolizing the collapse of real estate prices in the Detroit metropolitan area due to deindustrialization in the rust belt.

Religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

* In

Paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

, silver represents wisdom, intelligence, and memory. It has a feminine energy and it is used to grow psychic ability. Role playing games * In '' Dungeons & Dragons'', the silver dragon is one of the metallic dragons. School colors * Silver is one of two school colors of Christopher Newport University. Scouting * The Silver Wolf Award is the highest award made by

The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...

"for services of the most exceptional character". * The Silver Award is the highest award for GS Cadettes in Girl Scouting of the United States of America (GSUSA).

Sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

* In the bandana code of the gay leather subculture, wearing a silver lamé

bandana A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvre-chef'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana or bandanna, is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the Human head, head, face, or neck for protective or decorative purposes. The popularity of ...

on the left means that one is a rock star, movie star,

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

, or big time groupie; wearing a silver lamé bandana on the right means that one is a groupie looking to have sex with one of the aforementioned types of people.

Sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

* The Las Vegas Raiders of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

and the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

use silver as one of their primary colors, along with

. * The

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

football team uses the color silver along with the color Honolulu blue for its team logo and uniforms. * In motorsports,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

is traditionally represented in white. However in 1934 the German teams stripped the paint from their cars to save weight, thus revealing the silver coloured bodywork beneath. They were aptly named the Silver Arrows. Since then, Germany also uses silver as one of their racing colours.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Silver (Color) Silver Shades of gray Web colors