a form of pneumoconiosis caused by breathing in tiny particles of silica, quartz, or slate, and characterized by shortness of breath and fibrotic changes in the tissues of the lungs
silicosis in American English
(ˌsɪlɪˈkoʊsɪs)
noun
a chronic disease of the lungs, characterized by diffuse fibrosis and caused by the continued inhalation of silica dust