phyllosilicate

[ fil-oh-sil-i-kit, -keyt ]

noun

1. any silicate mineral having the tetrahedral silicate groups linked in sheets, each group containing four oxygen atoms, three of which are shared with other groups so that the ratio of silicon atoms to oxygen atoms is two to five.

phyllosilicate

/ ˌfɪləʊˈsɪlɪkeɪt /

noun

1. any of a class of silicate minerals, including talc, consisting of thin sheets

Word History and Origins

Origin of phyllosilicate¹

First recorded in 1945–50; phyllo- + silicate