Word To Use Today: silicide.

Pesticides kill pests, herbicides kill herbs, insecticides kill insects, and silicides...

...are, luckily, nothing at all to do with killing silly people.

(Good grief, the world would be a lonely place if all the silly people were wiped out. Let's face it, The Word Den would probably be one of the first victims.)

As it happens, a silicide is nothing to do with killing at all. Silicides are all substances with silicon in them.

Sodium silicide is used to make fuel hydrogen, and it's also being used in a new sort of mobile phone charger which will run on water. It can even run on puddle water as long as it isn't muddy.

Magnesium silicide is used to make very hard aluminium alloys, platinum silicide is used to make infrared detectors, especially for looking into space, and tungsten silicide is used in microelectronics.

A silicide is made by a process is called salicide.

Hm.

Now, I'm worried....

Word To Use Today: silicide.

I think the idea of a water-powered phone charger is marvellous. Do spread the word.

The word silicide comes from silica, from the Latin word silex, which means hard stone or flint.