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silex

noun — 3 senses

silex

nounalso spelled Silex

/ˈsaɪˌlɛks/

Etymology Borrowed from Latin silex.

1

Archaic Flint.

2

A finely ground relatively pure form of silicas used as a paint filler etc.

  • Every little cold gust that I observed in the Colorado country had this corkscrew character […] an auger, of diameter varying from an inch to a thousand feet, capable of altering its direction so as to bore curved holes, revolving with incalculable rapidity, and armed with a cutting edge of silex.1864, Fitz-Hugh Ludlow, The Atlantic:
Derived terms
petrosilex

Silex

noun

Etymology Brand name.

1

Dated A vacuum coffee maker.

  • The Navy uses several types of coffee makers – urns, silexes, and percolators. Each type requires special care in making good coffee.1965, Stewardsman, United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel, page 31:
  • Remembering my daily habits, Papa-san brewed the coffee and before I had completed a local phone call, he was serving it piping hot from the Silex, still grinning as he thought of other days of coffee-making.1968, The History of the Chaplain Corps, United States Navy, United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel, page 143:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for silex and Silex.