sil·i·ca (s l -k )n. A white or colorless crystalline compound, SiO2, occurring abundantly as quartz, sand, flint, agate, and many other minerals and used to manufacture a wide variety of materials, especially glass and concrete. [New Latin, from Latin silex, silic-, hard stone, flint.] |
silica [ˈsɪlɪkə]
n
1. (Chemistry / Elements & Compounds) the dioxide of silicon, occurring naturally as quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite. It is a refractory insoluble material used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, and abrasives
2. (Chemistry / Elements & Compounds) short for silica glass
[New Latin, from Latin: silex]
| silica (sl-k) A chemical compound that is the main constituent of most of the Earth's rocks. Silica occurs naturally in five crystalline forms (quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, coesite, and stishovite), in a cryptocrystalline form (chalcedony), and in an amorphous form (opal). It is also the main chemical compound in sand. Silica is used to make glass, concrete, and other materials. Also called silicon dioxide. Chemical formula: SiO2. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  silica - a white or colorless vitreous insoluble solid (SiO2); various forms occur widely in the earth's crust as quartz or cristobalite or tridymite or lechatelieritecristobalite - a white mineral consisting of silica; found in volcanic rocks quartz - a hard glossy mineral consisting of silicon dioxide in crystal form; present in most rocks (especially sandstone and granite); yellow sand is quartz with iron oxide impurities chert - variety of silica containing microcrystalline quartz flint - a hard kind of stone; a form of silica more opaque than chalcedony lechatelierite, quartz, quartz glass, vitreous silica, crystal - colorless glass made of almost pure silica oxide - any compound of oxygen with another element or a radical silex - a pure form of finely ground silica tridymite - a mineral form of silica |
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