definitions

sial

[ sahy-al ]
/ ˈsaɪ æl /

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.

Nearby words

si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice, si unit, si-ma qian, siabon, siad barre, sial, sial-, sialadenitis, sialadenosis, sialagogic, sialagogue
Compare sima1.

Origin of sial

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

Related forms

si·al·ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for sialic

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

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

Medicine definitions for sialic

sialic

[ sī-ăl′ĭk ]

adj.

Having or having the characteristics of saliva.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.