The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'seolfur', and the chemical symbol from the Latin 'argentum', both meaning silver. Silver tarnishes slowly as sulfur compounds in the atmosphere react with the surface to form black silver sulfide. Silver has been used for jewellery and tableware since ancient times, but it is also employed for silvering glass and in photography, as well as for industrial uses. World production is about 10,000 tonnes per year.
Silver is present in the human body but has no known role.