Does anyone know the origin of the word "silver"?

The chemical symbol for silver, which is Ag is actually an abbreviation of argentum, the Latin name for silver. The word arg derives from an Indo-European root and it means "white", or "shining" - a word which is indeed appropriate for describing the precious metal silver. However, the word "silver" as we know it today actually derives from Anglo-Saxon origins and could be seen in various different spellings, such as seolfor or siolfor.

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