bombycine

adjective

bom·​by·​cine

ˈbämbəˌsīn,

-ə̇n

: of or relating to silkworms

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin bombȳcinus "of silk," pseudo-Greek derivative (with -inos -ine entry 1) of bombyc-, bombyx "silkworm, silk," borrowed from Greek *bómbyx

Note: Though the Latin adjective is conventionally traced to Greek bombýkinos (as in Oxford Latin Dictionary), the Greek word is not attested until significantly later (Libanius, 4th century ce).

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