<p><strong>Noun:</strong></p><ul><li>Mineralogy: Any of the largest group of mineral compounds, as quartz, beryl, garnet, feldspar, mica, and various kinds of clay, consisting of SiO₂ or SiO₄ groupings and one or more metallic ions, with some forms containing hydrogen. Silicates constitute well over 90 percent of the rock-forming minerals of the earth's crust.</li><li>Chemistry: Any salt derived from the silicic acids or from silica.</li></ul>