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

The device integrates both the signal encoder and optical detector on a single silicon chip manufactured using an eight-inch wafer process commonly used in semiconductor production. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 June 2026

But silicon remains a missing piece of the sovereign AI puzzle. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 9 June 2026

The first two models, Apple says, still run on Apple’s silicon on Apple’s servers. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026

That step in semiconductor production is traditionally of lesser importance and doesn’t cost as much as the process of creating the electronic components out of disks of silicon. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 June 2026

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