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silica

[sil-i-kuh]
noun
  1. the dioxide form of silicon, SiO2, occurring especially as quartz sand, flint, and agate: used usually in the form of its prepared white powder chiefly in the manufacture of glass, water glass, ceramics, and abrasives.
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Origin of silica

1795–1805; < New Latin, derivative of Latin silex silex
Also called silicon dioxide.

silicon dioxide

noun Chemistry.
  1. silica.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for silicon dioxide

silica

noun
  1. the dioxide of silicon, occurring naturally as quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite. It is a refractory insoluble material used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, and abrasives
  2. short for silica glass
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Word Origin

C19: New Latin, from Latin: silex
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

Word Origin and History for silicon dioxide

silica

n.

"hard silicon dioxide," 1801, Modern Latin, from Latin silex (genitive silicis) "flint, pebble," on model of alumina, soda.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
silicon dioxide in Medicine

silica

(sĭl′ĭ-kə)
n.
  1. A crystalline compound occurring abundantly as quartz, sand, and many other minerals and used to manufacture a variety of materials, especially glass and concrete.
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silicon dioxide

n.
  1. Silica.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
silicon dioxide in Science

silica

[sĭl′ĭ-kə]
  1. A chemical compound that is the main constituent of most of the Earth's rocks. Silica occurs naturally in five crystalline forms (quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, coesite, and stishovite), in a cryptocrystalline form (chalcedony), and in an amorphous form (opal). It is also the main chemical compound in sand. Silica is used to make glass, concrete, and other materials. Also called silicon dioxide. Chemical formula: SiO2.
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silicon dioxide

  1. See silica.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.