sericulture

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun raising silkworms in order to obtain raw silk
  2. noun the production of raw silk by raising silkworms

Etymology

Possibly borrowed from French sériculture, a modification of French sériciculture (“sericulture”) (or directly from sériciculture), from Late Latin sēricum (“Chinese goods, especially silk”) + French culture (“crop; culture”). Sēricum is derived from Latin sēricus (“of or pertaining to the Seres or Chinese; (by extension) made of silk, silken”), from Sēres (“northern Chinese people”), from Ancient Greek Σῆρες (Sêres, “the Chinese people; the land of the Chinese, China”), plural of Σήρ (Sḗr, “(rare, usually in plural) Chinese person; silkworm”), possibly from Old Chinese 絲 (*slɯ, “silk”).

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