Affixes

Argentite is silver sulphide, an important ore of the metal; such silver-bearing minerals are said to be argentiferous. In chemistry, argentic compounds are those containing divalent silver (for example, argentic oxide, AgO); argentous compounds contain monovalent silver (for example, argentous chloride, AgCl); Argentina is the ‘Silver Republic’ in Spanish, named for the silver jewellery worn by native inhabitants at the time of colonization; in heraldry, argent means silvery white, as it can also do in poetic or literary contexts.