silicate

[ sil-i-kit, -keyt ]

noun

1. Mineralogy. any of the largest group of mineral compounds, as quartz, beryl, garnet, feldspar, mica, and various kinds of clay, consisting of SiO 2 or SiO 4 groupings and one or more metallic ions, with some forms containing hydrogen. Silicates constitute well over 90 percent of the rock-forming minerals of the earth's crust.
2. Chemistry. any salt derived from the silicic acids or from silica.

silicate

/ ˈsɪlɪkɪt; -ˌkeɪt /

noun

1. a salt or ester of silicic acid, esp one of a large number of usually insoluble salts with polymeric negative ions having a structure formed of tetrahedrons of SiO 4 groups linked in rings, chains, sheets, or three dimensional frameworks. Silicates constitute a large proportion of the earth's minerals and are present in cement and glass

silicate

/ sĭl′ĭ-kāt′ /

1. Any of a large class of chemical compounds composed of silicon, oxygen, and at least one metal. Most rocks and minerals are silicates.
2. Any mineral containing the group SiO 4 , either isolated, or joined to other groups in chains, sheets, or three-dimensional groups with metal elements. Micas and feldspars are silicate minerals.

Other Words From

• sil·i·ca·tion [sil-i-, key, -sh, uh, n], noun
• non·sili·cate noun
• sub·sili·cate noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of silicate¹

First recorded in 1805–15; silic(a) + -ate ²

Example Sentences

One such approach, called enhanced rock weathering, involves spreading finely ground silicate rocks, like basalt, on the ground or the ocean, which absorb carbon dioxide from the air as they weather in the rain.

From Salon

After pouring hot aluminum into one of her stick-shaped molds and letting it cool in a pile of dirt, a participant took a ball-peen hammer and cracked open the rough silicate mold, like a geode.

From Los Angeles Times

"On this basis, we were able to calculate the quantities of CO2 released by weathering or from carbonates at depths, and the quantities of CO2 bound by weathered silicates," explains Erlanger.

From Science Daily

They show that the silicate shells of diatoms – the most important phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean – were deposited on the seafloor farther north in ice ages than in warm periods.

From Science Daily

In landscapes with moderate erosion rates of around 0.1 millimeters per year, the rapidly weathering carbonates and sulfides are largely depleted, whereas silicate minerals are abundant and weather efficiently.

From Science Daily