silver cord

silver cord

n.

1. In various systems of spiritual thought, the connection between one's physical body and one's spirit or astral body, conceived of as being spatially extended during out-of-body experiences and as being severed at the moment of death.

2. The emotional bond between a mother and her offspring.

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[Translation of Hebrew hebel ha-kkesep, cord of silver, an expression of uncertain meaning in Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, possibly referring to the spinal cord as essential to life. Sense 2, after The Silver Cord, a 1926 play by American playwright Sidney Coe Howard (1891-1939) in which an overly possessive mother is depicted as damaging to the emotional lives of her grown sons.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

silver cord - the emotional bond between a mother and her offspring alliance, bond - a connection based on kinship or marriage or common interest; "the shifting alliances within a large family"; "their friendship constitutes a powerful bond between them"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.