sial

[ sahy-al ]

/ ˈsaɪ æl /

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noun Geology.

the assemblage of rocks, rich in silica and alumina, that comprise the continental portions of the upper layer of the earth's crust.

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Compare sima¹.

Origin of sial

1920–25; <German, equivalent to Si(licium) silicium + Al(uminium) aluminum

OTHER WORDS FROM sial

si·al·ic, adjective

Words nearby sial

shypoo, shyster, si, siabon, Siad Barre, sial, sialadenitis, sialagogic, sialagogue, sialid, Sialkot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sial in a sentence

During the Mutiny of 1857 the Sial leader again proved his loyalty by serving in person on the British side.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
Sialogogue, sī-al′o-gog, n. a drug which increases the secretion of saliva—also Sial′agogue.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sial

sial

/ (ˈsaɪəl) /

noun

the silicon-rich and aluminium-rich rocks of the earth's continental upper crust, the most abundant individual rock being granite

Derived forms of sial

sialic (saɪˈælɪk), adjective

Word Origin for sial

C20: si (licon) + al (uminium)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012