are arrested) iK,!/// o There is a conspiracy of silence about what is happening (= everyone has agreed not to discuss it). 4[u]a

situation in which people do not communicate with each other by letter or telephone 5$@7;il1=ff|}67li M-', ft 7 it ( St & iS ) M %.: The phone call came after months of silence. /I'M Mf itZfS, fT3l i£₀ rrrTTTB,silence is 'golden (saying) it is often best not to say anything — more at heavy adj., preg

nant

■ verb [VN] 1 to make sb/sth stop speaking or making a noise $i7i&iA She silenced him with a glare.

Mil7ffe—IB, i^Wt^ftfPTo 0 Our bombs silenced the enemy’s guns (= they destroyed them). f] 6*1 M W IE A 6*J A tT ® 7 ₀ 2 to make sb stop expressing

opinions that are opposed to yours J± rfrj, fll 7 # A A ( ) : All protest had been silenced. —

6$ M JEE 7 7 A ₀ 0 Her recent achievements have silenced her critics. M6*J A

u exclamation (formal) used to tell people to be quiet ( 71

WitA/n^it ) AH, Silence in court! &&E

si-len-cer /'sail8ns0(r)/ noun 1 (BrE) (NAmE muf-fler) a device that is fixed to the exhaust of a vehicle in order to reduce the amount of noise that the engine makes ( A j#J#l6*J ) If #g — picture o motorcycle 2 a device that is fixed to the end of a gun in order to reduce the amount of noise that it makes when it is fired (

si-lent o-w /'sailant/ adj.

1 (of a person A) not speaking 7i#i£ (ft; : to

remain/stay/keep silent If 7t 1/ 0 They huddled

together in silent groups. /Ml—H A—^, l/7f£ P o o As the curtain rose, the audience fell silent.

Bi, 0 He gave me the silent treatment

(= did not speak to me because he was angry). ^fli₀ 2 [only before noun] (especially of a man A/b lk A) not talking very much /gAi£i$67 7JB&ilf67 AW Silf 6*1 PHTH quiet _: He’s the strong silent type. M 3 where there is little or

no sound; making little or no sound ftp (ft; 7# 67 7 ® |7J 6*J SSZS quiet : At last the traffic fell silent. $ #5 6*J I® # % 7 ^ jfi X o o The streets were silent and deserted. Affi A'&Mft — A» 4 [only before noun] not expressed with words or sound 7 ffl W ill A 67 ftp 6*J: a silent prayer/protest 1/1$; ftp tikfflii/ o They nodded in silent agreement. jfk{|]i/l//filA AA7[b]#o 5 ~ (on/about sth) not giving information about sth; refusing to speak about sth 7fHfttifH^;67 7$R6*J;

: The report is strangely silent on this issue. 3f&, o the right to remain

silent (= the legal right not to say anything when you are arrested) iAl/jX 6 [only before noun] (of old films/ movies Miiilli) with pictures but no sound AP 6*1; ftp f&B 6*1: a silent film/movie ftp 0 stars of the silent screen ftp W frt ft 6*1 S 7 (of a letter in a word written but not pronounced 7A

#67 The V in ‘lamb’ is silent. * lamb 76*J b 7tto si lent ly /'sailantli/ adv. 1 without speaking IZi/itfe; 7 iHf ±tk : They marched silently through the streets. VXiEftPifaWithMc 2 without making any or much sound ]$ ife ; # # jfe quietly : She crept

silently out of the room. M fH ‘\H'/§? 7 ft |b] ₀ 3 without using words or sounds to express sth ftPM', i/iZitfe; 7/SWilfAi7ife: She prayed silently. jfaWt0 He silently agreed with much of what she had said. A 7 M0fi#67 SltlWJo USHI sit/stand silently

¹ by to do or say nothing to help sb or deal with a difficult situation

the .silent majority noun [usually sing.] the large number of people in a country who think the same as each other, but do not express their views publicly i/6*iA( 7A77A&lifiIcJE6MAK& )

.silent ‘partner noun (NAmE) = sleeping partner the .silent ‘way noun [sing.] a method of teaching a foreign language in which the teacher does not speak much, but uses movement, pictures and wooden rods

to explain meaning ( tfcWAi#,

fK )

sil-hou-ette /.silu’et/ noun, verb

m noun 1 [C, U] the dark outline or shape of a person or an object that you see against a light background ( $5

W JR W 46 7 6*J ) Bf & M: the silhouette of chimneys and towers g[4n/£#6*)$&JfB 0 The mountains stood out in silhouette. f$li| 6*J$frJfp^;H'467 2 [C] the shape of

a person’s body or of an object ( A (ft ) i$M; ( #% &))&$: The dress is fitted to give you a flattering silhouette. il||I7#g7₀ 3 [C] a

picture that shows sb/sth as a black shape against a light background, especially one that shows the side view of a person’s face l/fA ( Ate AIM ) [PJjfZ m verb [VN] [usually passive] ~ sb/sth (against sth) to make sth appear as a silhouette M M Bf ^ S : A figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light. H P

m-fA,

sil ica /'silika/ noun [U] (symb Si0₂) a chemical containing silicon found in sand and in rocks such as quartz, used in making glass and cement zlfCffcfii 'silica gel noun [U] a substance made from silica in the form of grains, which keeps things dry by absorbing water mm ( )

sili cate /'silikeit/ noun [C, U] 1 (chemistry it) any compound containing silicon and oxygen & . aluminium silicate 2 a mineral that contains

silica. There are many different silicates and they form a large part of the earth’s crust. sil icon /'siliken/ noun [U] (symb Si) a chemical element. Silicon exists as a grey solid or as a brown powder and is found in rocks and sand. It is used in making glass and transistors. 51

.silicon 'chip noun a very small piece of silicon used to carry a complicated electronic circuit Sit sili cone /'silikaun; NAmE -koun/ noun [u] a chemical containing silicon. There are several different types of silicone, used to make paint, artificial rubber, varnish, etc. 5£|6]; HiiiS : a silicone breast implant 5iisl|$§

mtxm

.Silicon 'Valley noun [U] the area in California where there are many companies connected with the computer and electronics industries, sometimes used to refer to any area where there are a lot of computer companies

sili cosis /.sili'kaosis; NAmE -'kou-/ noun [U] (medical E) a serious lung disease caused by breathing in dust containing silica HI ft, M ^, £i ftfr A

silk 0-w /silk/ noun

1 [U] fine soft thread produced by silkworms ( § ) M

2 [U] a type of fine smooth cloth made from silk thread

M iR %J; M ^ : a silk blouse ic A M 0 silk

stockings 0 made of pure silk 0 Her

skin was as smooth as silk.

— see also watered silk 3 [U] silk thread used for sewing ( 4 silks [pi.] clothes made of

silk, especially the coloured shirts worn by people riding horses in a race (= jockeys) AM ( Aja^tW ) 5 [C] (BrE, law m a type of lawyer who represents the government (= a King’s/ Queen’s counsel) Iff®; 7 M & W M1"]: to take silk (= to become this type of lawyer)

IHTO1 make a silk .purse out of a sow’s ear to succeed in making sth good out of material that does not seem very good at all jf]a” ; A##

silk en /’silkan/ adj. (literary) 1 [usually before noun] soft, smooth and shiny like silk ZZ iM — # ^: silken hair 77 2 [usually before noun] smooth

and gentle % ftl M ffl 6(J; ^ ^ 6il: her silken voice 3 [only before noun] made of silk 67 ZZ)t67 M^6iJ: silken ribbons j&M silkie /‘silki/ noun = selkie

'silk moth noun a moth whose larva produces silk