Etymograph

English

silkwork

Silkwork comes from Middle English silkewerk.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500silkewerk1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1967silkwork1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English silkwork
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1967, A Mediterranean Society: The family: “The tax on silkwork and silk-dyeing in Fustat brought…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500silkewerkWiktionary, English silkwork
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1967silkworkWiktionary, English silkwork. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1967, A Mediterranean Society: The family: “The tax on silkwork and silk-dyeing in Fustat brought…”

A compound of silk + work

Ancient Greek σήρ ‘silkworm’

…

Vulgar Latin sericus

Proto-West Germanic *seluk

Old English seolc

Middle English silk

English silk

Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ‘to make’

…

Proto-Germanic *werką

Proto-West Germanic *werk

Old English weorc ‘labor’

Middle English work

English work

Every English word from Middle English silkewerk

Today it means

noun Goods or products manufactured from silk

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “silkwork”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English silkewerk / silkwork

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