silica
noun /ˈsɪlɪkə/
/ˈsɪlɪkə/
[uncountable] (symbol SiO2)
- a chemical containing silicon found in sand and in rocks such as quartz, used in making glass and cementWord Originearly 19th cent.: from Latin silex, silic- ‘flint’, on the pattern of words such as alumina.