Silk
fine, lustrous, natural fiber produced by the larvae of various silk moths, especially the species Bombyx mori
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven or knitted into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin (75-80%) and a smaller coating of sericin (20-25%). It is most commonly produced from the cocoons of certain insect larvae. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori, which are reared in captivity (sericulture).
Harvested silk is produced by numerous insects; generally, only the silk of various moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacturing. Research into other types of silk, which differ at the molecular level, has been conducted. Silk is produced primarily by the larvae of insects undergoing complete metamorphosis, but some insects, such as webspinners and raspy crickets, produce silk throughout their lives. Silk production also occurs in hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), silverfish, caddisflies, mayflies, thrips, leafhoppers, beetles, lacewings, fleas, flies, and midges. Other types of arthropods also produce silk, most notably various arachnids, such as spiders.
Etymology
The word silk comes from Old English: sioloc, from Latin: sericum and Ancient Greek: σηρικός, romanized: sērikós, "silken", ultimately from the Chinese word "sī" and other Asian sources—compare Standard Chinese sī "silk", Mongolian sirkek.
“Silk” enters the record as fine, lustrous, natural fiber produced by the larvae of various silk moths, especially the species Bombyx mori. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Silk, fine and lustrous can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Silk” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Silk, fine and lustrous provides the most credible route into that argument.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q37681. The Library of Congress control number is sh85122543. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Silk” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.