sil
sil — noun
1. a yellow-brown clay found in the ground, used since ancient times as a pigment f
a yellow-brown clay found in the ground, used since ancient times as a pigment for making paints, dyes, and cosmetics.
The artist crushed dried sil and mixed it with linseed oil to make paint.
natural pigment mixed with oil
Eleni bought sil pigments from a specialist supplier for her restoration project.
The ancient cave paintings were made using sil, charcoal, and ground chalk.
Indra ground the sil into a fine powder before adding water and egg yolk.
A thin layer of sil gives the pottery a warm, earthy yellow tone.
- yellow ocher
the more common modern name for the same pigment
- ochre
broader term that includes other colours of natural earth pigments besides yellow
用法筆記
This sense is very rare in modern English; it appears mostly in art-history texts or discussions of traditional pigment-making. The word 'sil' is not used in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
2. a short written form of 'silence', used in scripts, captions, or messages to tel
a short written form of 'silence', used in scripts, captions, or messages to tell people to be quiet or to show that no sound should be made.
The director wrote 'SIL' in the margin as a reminder for the actors to freeze.
abbreviation used in scripts
Yuki typed 'SIL' into the group chat when everyone started talking at once.
The first page of the screenplay read 'SIL — no music, no dialogue.'
During the live broadcast the producer sent a quick 'SIL' to the studio crew.
Renata posted 'SIL' under the video so viewers knew to listen carefully.
用法筆記
Almost always written in capital letters as 'SIL'. Common in screenwriting, live-television production, and online chat spaces where a single-word shorthand for 'quiet' is helpful.
3. a short written form of 'silver', used mainly on price boards, financial reports
a short written form of 'silver', used mainly on price boards, financial reports, and commodity labels to refer to the precious metal.
The report showed that SIL prices rose by three percent last quarter.
used in financial reporting
Hari checked the SIL futures market before deciding whether to sell.
The jeweler stamped 'SIL' on the back of each piece to show the metal.
Investors moved their money from gold into SIL during the market downturn.
The mining company reported a higher output of SIL this year.
用法筆記
Always capitalised as 'SIL' in financial contexts. This abbreviation is most commonly seen on ticker boards, in commodity-table headers, and on metal-stamping marks. Not used in spoken language.