silicate

«silicate» in Mova's school dictionary: A mineral or compound made of silicon and oxygen, often… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a silicate, silicates; silicate as a substance)

meaning for a pupil

1) (science) A mineral or compound made of silicon and oxygen, often with metals; most rocks, sand and clay are made of silicates. tree →

2) A material made from such compounds, as in some glass, cement and paint. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science and geography lessons on rocks, pupils learn that the Earth's crust is mostly silicate minerals such as quartz, feldspar and mica, and that glass is made from silica sand. Chemistry for older pupils names silicates as salts of silicic acid.

examples

• Most of the rocks in the Earth's crust are silicates. tree →
• Quartz is a silicate mineral found in sand. tree →
• Clay is made of tiny silicate grains. tree →
• The Moon's surface is covered in grey silicate dust. tree →
• Some glues and paints contain silicates. tree →
• Mica is a silicate that splits into thin shiny sheets. tree →

note

Countable for kinds (silicates), uncountable for the stuff. Say «SIL-ih-kate». Related: silicon (an element, Si), silica (silicon dioxide, as in sand), silicone (a rubbery man-made material). Don't mix these up.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «silicate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.