3. Covered with soft hairs pressed close to the surface, as a leaf;
sericeous.
Silky oak (Bot.), a lofty Australian tree (Grevillea robusta) with
silky tomentose lobed or incised leaves. It furnishes a valuable
timber.
Sill (?), n. [OE. sille, sylle, AS. syl, syll; akin to G. schwelle,
OHG. swelli, Icel. syll, svill, Sw. syll, Dan. syld, Goth. gasuljan to
lay a foundation, to found.] The basis or foundation of a thing;
especially, a horizontal piece, as a timber, which forms the lower
member of a frame, or supports a structure; as, the sills of a house,
of a bridge, of a loom, and the like. Hence: (a) The timber or stone at
the foot of a door; the threshold. (b) The timber or stone on which a
window frame stands; or, the lowest piece in a window frame. (c) The
floor of a gallery or passage in a mine. (d) A piece of timber across
the bottom of a canal lock for the gates to shut against.
Sill course (Arch.), a horizontal course of stone, terra cotta, or the
like, built into a wall at the level of one or more window sills, these
sills often forming part of it.