adj.
WA silkyn, silken
'silk'
(Modern English silken)OE had seolcen, siolcen and (late) silcen. ME /i/ can be explained as a native development, or as showing Norse influence on the vocalism (i.e. /i/ rather than ME /e/ from back-mutation of OE /i/), as with the n. (see furter silk.)
PGmc Ancestor
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
cp. silki (n.) 'silk'
(ONP cp. silki (sb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far silki, Icel silki, Norw silke, Dan silke, Sw silke
OE Cognate
seolcen, siolcen and (late) silcen 'silken, made of silk'
Phonological and morphological markers
[absence of back-mutation of */i/] (possibly diagnostic) (may not be applicable)
Summary category
CC2
The earliest citation of spellings with <i, y> is from Gaw, whereafter it becomes the regular variant (contrast the formerly dominant <e> spellings).
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 610; WA 236, 1520, 5295