Ru·by n.; pl. Rubies
 1. Min. A precious stone of a carmine red color, sometimes verging to violet, or intermediate between carmine and hyacinth red.  It is a red crystallized variety of corundum.
 Note: ☞ Besides the true or Oriental ruby above defined, there are the balas ruby, or ruby spinel, a red variety of spinel, and the rock ruby, a red variety of garnet.
    Of rubies, sapphires, and pearles white.   --Chaucer.
 2. The color of a ruby; carmine red; a red tint.
    The natural ruby of your cheeks.   --Shak.
 3. That which has the color of the ruby, as red wine. Hence, a red blain or carbuncle.
 4. Print. See Agate, n., 2. [Eng.]
 5. Zool. Any species of South American humming birds of the genus Clytolaema. The males have a ruby-colored throat or breast.
 Ruby of arsenic, Ruby of sulphur Chem., a glassy substance of a red color and a variable composition, but always consisting chiefly of the disulphide of arsenic; -- called also ruby sulphur.
 Ruby of zinc Min., zinc sulphide; the mineral zinc blende or sphalerite.
 Ruby silver Min., red silver. See under Red.


 Sil·ver n.
 1. Chem. A soft white metallic element, sonorous, ductile, very malleable, and capable of a high degree of polish. It is found native, and also combined with sulphur, arsenic, antimony, chlorine, etc., in the minerals argentite, proustite, pyrargyrite, ceragyrite, etc.  Silver is one of the “noble” metals, so-called, not being easily oxidized, and is used for coin, jewelry, plate, and a great variety of articles. Symbol Ag (Argentum). Atomic weight 107.7. Specific gravity 10.5.
 Note: ☞ Silver was known under the name of luna to the ancients and also to the alchemists. Some of its compounds, as the halogen salts, are remarkable for the effect of light upon them, and are used in photography.
 2. Coin made of silver; silver money.
 3. Anything having the luster or appearance of silver.
 4. The color of silver.
 Note: ☞ Silver is used in the formation of many compounds of obvious meaning; as, silver-armed, silver-bright, silver-buskined, silver-coated, silver-footed, silver-haired, silver-headed, silver-mantled, silver-plated, silver-slippered, silver-sounding, silver-studded, silver-tongued, silver-white. See Silver, a.
 Black silver Min., stephanite; -- called also brittle silver ore, or brittle silver glance.
 Fulminating silver. Chem. (a) A black crystalline substance, Ag2O.(NH3)2, obtained by dissolving silver oxide in aqua ammonia. When dry it explodes violently on the slightest percussion. (b) Silver fulminate, a white crystalline substance, Ag2C2N2O2, obtained by adding alcohol to a solution of silver nitrate; -- also called fulminate of silver. When dry it is violently explosive.
 German silver. Chem. See under German.
 Gray silver. Min. See Freieslebenite.
 Horn silver. Min. See Cerargyrite.
 King's silver. O. Eng. Law See Postfine.
 Red silver, or Ruby silver. Min. See Proustite, and Pyrargyrite.
 Silver beater, one who beats silver into silver leaf or silver foil.
 Silver glance, or Vitreous silver. Min. See Argentine.