Siliceous
/sɪˈlɪʃəs/noun
Containing, composed of, or resembling silica.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, silex, meant “flint,” a stone associated with sparks, cutting tools, and humanity’s earliest mastery of fire—not occult magic, but genuinely transformative power.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
silex
“Flint or hard stone; the source of the later scientific family”
Classical Latin
Latin
silicis
“Of flint; the genitive form of silex used as the stem for scientific derivatives”
17th Century
New Latin
silica
“Silicon dioxide, named from Latin silex, “flint””
18th Century
French/New Latin
silicieux
“Containing silica or relating to silica”
Early 19th Century
English
siliceous
“Containing or composed of silica”