argent

noun

ar·​gent ˈär-jənt 

1

archaic : the metal silver

also : whiteness

2

: the heraldic color silver or white

argent adjective

Examples of argent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But argent also means silver in French — a fitting name for a company that exists to help women succeed in the business world. —Kiki Georgiou, The Cut, 18 Dec. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin argentum "silver, money," going back to Indo-European *h₂ r̥ǵ-n̥t-o- (whence also Old Irish argat "silver," Middle Welsh aryant "silver, money," Breton arcʼhant, Sanskrit rajatáḥ "shining white, silvery" [for *ṛjatáḥ], Avestan ərəzata "silver," Armenian arcatʻ), derivative of *h₂erǵ-, *h₂r̥ǵ- "bright, white" whence, with varying suffixation, Greek árgyros "silver," Tocharian B ārkwi "white," Sanskrit árjunaḥ "shining, white," Hittite ḫarki- "white, bright"

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

argent

adjective

ar·​gent ˈär-jənt 

: resembling silver : silvery, white