silicate

American  

[sil-i-kit, -kayt] / ˈsɪl ɪ kɪt, -ˌkeɪt /

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.

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silicate British  

/ 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

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silicate Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsilicate
  noun
• silication
  noun
• subsilicate
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of silicate

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

silicate

Eggleston, a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering with expertise in geochemistry, will lead work focused on understanding and optimizing the chemical reactions involved in breaking down and rebuilding silicate materials.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

These comparisons showed that LHS 3844 b does not have a crust similar to Earth's, which is typically rich in silicate minerals like granite.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

Asbestos is a mined fibrous silicate that was widely used in home insulation, automobiles and other applications through the 1970s until its use was slowly phased out as its health impacts became widely known.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026

As the water interacts with rocks, especially silicate rocks such as granite, it gradually breaks them down.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2025

The lack of craters and mountains strongly suggests that a thick ice crust, perhaps 100 kilometers deep, jackets the silicate interior.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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