Si*le"si*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Silesia. -- n. A native or
inhabitant of Silesia.
Si"lex (?), n. [L., a finit, a pebblestone.] (Min.) Silica, SiO2 as
found in nature, constituting quarz, and most sands and sandstones. See
Silica, and Silicic.
Sil`hou*ette" (?), n. [F.; -- so called from Etienne de Silhoutte, a
French minister of finance in 1759, whise diversion it was to make such
portraits on the walls of his apartments.] A representation of the
outlines of an object filled in with a black color; a profile portrait
in black, such as a shadow appears to be.
Sil`hou*ette", v. t. To represent by a silhouette; to project upon a
background, so as to be like a silhouette. [Recent]
A flock of roasting vultures silhouetted on the sky.
The Century.
Sil"i*ca (?), n. [NL., from L. silex, silics, a flint.] (Chem.) Silicon
dioxide, SiO&?;. It constitutes ordinary quartz (also opal and
tridymite), and is artifically prepared as a very fine, white,
tasteless, inodorous powder.
Sil"i*cate (?), n.[Cf. F. silicate.] (Chem.) A salt of silicic acid.
In mineralogical chemistry the silicates include; the unisilicates or
orthosilicates, salts of orthosilicic acid; the bisilicates or
metasilicates, salts of metasilicic acid; the polysilicates or acid
silicates, salts of the polysilicic acids; the basic silicates or
subsilicates, in which the equivalent of base is greater than would be
required to neutralize the acid; and the hydrous silicates, including
the zeolites and many hydrated decomposition products.
Sil"i*ca`ted (?), a. (Chem.) Combined or impregnated with silicon or
silica; as, silicated hydrogen; silicated rocks.
Silicated soap, a hard soap containing silicate of soda.
Sil`i*ca*ti*za"tion (?), n. Silicification.
||Si*lic"e*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) Same as Silicoidea.
Si*li"ceous (?), a. [L. siliceus, fr. silex, silicis, a flint.] Of or
pertaining to silica; containing silica, or partaking of its nature.
[Written also silisious.]
Si*lic"ic (?), a. [L. silex, silicis, a flint: cf. F. silicique.]
(Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or resembling, silica;
specifically, designating compounds of silicon; as, silicic acid.
Silicic acid (Chem.), an amorphous gelatinous substance, Si(HO)4, very
unstable and easily dried to silica, but forming many stable salts; --
called also orthosilicic, or normal silicic, acid.
Si*lic`i*cal*ca"re*ous (?), a. Consisting of silica and calcareous
matter.
Sil"i*cide (?), n. (Chem.) A binary compound of silicon, or one
regarded as binary. [R.]
Hydrogen silicide (Chem.), a colorless, spontaneously inflammable gas,
SiH4, produced artifically from silicon, and analogous to methane; --
called also silico-methane, silicon hydride, and formerly siliciureted
hydrogen.
Sil`i*cif"er*ous (?), a. [L. silex, silicis, a flint + -ferous.]
Producing silica; united with silica.
Si*lic`i*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [See Silicify.] (Chem.) Thae act or process
of combining or impregnating with silicon or silica; the state of being
so combined or impregnated; as, the silicification of wood.
Si*lic"i*fied (?), a. (Chem.) Combined or impregnated with silicon or
silica, especially the latter; as, silicified wood.
Si*lic"i*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Silicified (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Silicifying (?).] [L. silex, silicis, a flint + -fy: cf. F.
silicifier.] (Chem.) To convert into, or to impregnate with, silica, or
with the compounds of silicon.
The specimens found . . . are completely silicified.
Say.
The silica may take the form of agate, chalcedony, flint, hornstone, or
crystalline quartz.
Si*lic"i*fy, v. i. To become converted into silica, or to be
impregnated with silica.
||Sil`i*ci*oi"de*a (?), n. pl. (Zoöl.) Same as Silicoidea.
Si*li"cious (?), a. See Siliceous.
||Sil`i*ci*spon"gi*æ (?), n. pl. [NL. See Silex, and Sponge.] (Zoöl.)
||Same as Silicoidea.