sb. and a. [a. F. argent, ad. L. argentum white money, silver.]
A. sb. 1. The metal silver. arch. or poet. Spume of argent (L. argenti spuma): litharge of silver.
[c. 1485. E. E. Misc. (1855), 3. The flore schold be of argentum, Clene sylver alle and sume.]
c. 1530. Ld. Berners, Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814), 252. It semed well to be of argent; that is to say, syluer.
1589. Fleming, Virg. Georg., III. 51. They doo mingle therwithall The spume of argent.
1790. Cowper, Iliad, II. 55. His argent-studded sword.
1851. Longf., Gold. Leg., I. lxvii. Clouds of gold and argent. [See also C.]
† 2. Silver coin; hence gen. money, cash. Obs.
c. 1500. Partenay, 1119. Euery day had ther money and argent.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., I. 52. Whether they haue Argente, to mayntaine this geare.
1630. J. Taylor (Water P.), To Hon. O’Toole, Wks. II. 18/2. Some hound-like senting sergeant … tires him out for argeant.
1742. Bailey, Argent, Silver or Coin.
3. Her. The silver of a coat of arms; the silver or white color in armorial bearings.
1562. Leigh, Armorie (1597), 4. Called Siluer, and blased by the name of Argent.
1628. Earle, Microcosm., lxviii. 146. Whole fields of gold and silver, or and argent.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., Argent is expressed, in engraving, by the parts being left plain, without any strokes from the graver.
B. adj. Of, or resembling, silver; silvery white.
c. 1590. Marlowe, Massac. Paris, I. vi. The argent crosses in your burgonets.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, XIV. (R.). The azure skie, With argent beames of siluer morning spred.
1850. H. Coleridge, Poems, II. 161. In the full brightness of the argent moon.
b. esp. in Her. Cf. A 3.
1591. Harington, Ariosto’s Orl. Fur., XXXVI. xxviii. The argent Eagle that he bare.
1681. Jordan, London’s Joy, in Heath, Grocers’ Comp. (1869), 541. He bears a Target Azure with a Saltier argent.
1814. Southey, Roderick, XVIII. Within that argent field Thou saw’st the rampant Lion.
C. Comb., as argent-clear, -horned, -lidded; † argent-content (F. argent comptant), ready money; ARGENT-VIVE, q.v.
1842. Longf., Sp. Stud., II. X. viii. Thou moon that shinest Argent-clear above!
1649. Lovelace, Poems, 151. The Argent-horned Moone.
1830. Tennyson, Arab. Nts., 135. Serene with argent-lidded eyes.
1536. Bellenden, Cron. Scot., XIII. v. (Jam.). Ane hundredth thousand poundis … the tane half to be payit with argent content.
