Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The state or quality of being like silk, as to the touch, to the eye by its luster, or to the ear by its peculiar rustle.
  • noun Softness; effeminacy; pusillanimity.
  • noun Smoothness to the taste.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality or state of being silky or silken; softness and smoothness.
  • noun rare Fig.: Effeminacy; weakness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The property of being silky.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the smooth feel of silk fabric

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From silky +‎ -ness

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Examples

  • He was enraptured by what he called the silkiness of French women, particularly the women of Provence.

    Emperor of Nostalgia Coetzee, J.M. 2002

  • She worked on the hair the longest, remembering how much she had touched her husband's hair at the beginning, enjoying so much its gentle silkiness.

    Act of Creation J.A. Pak 2011

  • “Would that be enough of a demonstration, Monsieur Nerin?” she asked, unable to keep the silkiness out of her voice.

    Guarding His Body in print! — Fusion Despatches 2009

  • His hand moved over the silkiness of her tawny hair to the side of her face and lifted it away from his chest.

    Western Man Janet Dailey 2011

  • It also gives the baked custard a light silkiness, but the milk waters down the richness of the egg.

    How to make the perfect quiche Lorraine 2011

  • That's when I travel in my mind down gray sea island roads in the shade of towering live oaks, brush aside the dangling tendrils of Spanish moss, pause to watch a deer plunge through the woods, keep an eye out for that great blue heron, and marvel in the silkiness of the air and the moist humidity.

    Carolyn Hart Talks About Summer Pleasures 2010

  • Next, in a medium bowl, you whisk salt and cream cheese to smoothness; they will add depth of flavor and silkiness to the final product.

    Cold Comfort Aram Bakshian Jr. 2011

  • A recipe on the Waitrose website finishes the chocolate off with 200ml single cream – not a great deal, compared to the litre and a bit of milk that's gone into it, but just enough to give it a luxurious silkiness in the mouth.

    How to make perfect hot chocolate 2012

  • There was a delicious silkiness in the texture of the wine that expanded with extraordinary flavor in my mouth.

    What to Read With a Good Beaujolais Lettie Teague 2011

  • It also, I discover, gives the baked custard a light silkiness which knocks the texture of its competitors into the long grass.

    How to cook perfect quiche lorraine 2011

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