silicon

noun

sil·​i·​con ˈsi-li-kən  ˈsi-lə-ˌkän 

: a tetravalent nonmetallic element with atomic number 14 that occurs combined as the most abundant element next to oxygen in the earth's crust and is used especially in semiconductors, in ferrosilicon for steelmaking, and in other alloys

—often used before another noun

silicon chips

silicon carbide

see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of silicon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Until then, the chip industry had mainly etched the different parts of a processor onto one piece of silicon. —Billy Perrigo, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024

Perhaps the coup de grâce was the rise of custom silicon by companies like Apple and Amazon, which further decreased their reliance on Intel’s offerings. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024

This card takes all of the disparate platform security functions and pieces of silicon that may reside on a motherboard and puts them on a dedicated system-on-a-chip. —Matt Kimball, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Germanium had heating issues, which led to the adoption of silicon. —New Atlas, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin silica + English -on (as in carbon)

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing silicon

• silicon carbide
• silicon dioxide
• silicon nitride

Kids Definition

silicon

noun

sil·​i·​con ˈsil-i-kən 

ˈsil-ə-ˌkän

: a nonmetallic element that occurs combined as the most abundant element after oxygen in the earth's crust and is used especially in alloys and electronic devices see element

Medical Definition

silicon

noun

sil·​i·​con ˈsil-i-kən  ˈsil-ə-ˌkän 

: a tetravalent nonmetallic element that occurs combined as the most abundant element next to oxygen in the earth's crust and is used especially in alloys

—symbol Si see Chemical Elements Table