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

Several companies are planning to set up graphite processing in the United States, and others are working on a way to replace some of the graphite in a battery with silicon. —Jack Ewing, New York Times, 27 May 2024

Lenovo’s first two machines out of the gate with this new silicon are the ThinkPad 14s Gen 6 and the Yoga Slim 7 X, both of which run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip. —Matthew Buzzi, PCMAG, 20 May 2024

Kevin Purdy Asahi Linux, the project that aims to bring desktop Linux to Apple hardware with Apple silicon—the M series of chips—is out with Fedora Asahi Remix 40. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 9 May 2024

Fine-quality sand is used in glass, and still-finer grades appear in solar panels and silicon chips for electronics. —David A. Taylor, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 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