silicon carbide

noun

: a very hard dark crystalline compound SiC of silicon and carbon that is used as an abrasive and as a refractory and in electric resistors

Examples of silicon carbide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The intense heat triggers a rapid reaction in which carbon bonds with silica to form silicon carbide, a ultra-hard, heat-tolerant compound. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026

The motors are still electrically excited synchronous ones, but now the drive units feature silicon carbide inverters and more compact packaging. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 2026

Switches made from wide-bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide could handle far higher voltages than silicon, and the EV industry’s appetite for these materials began driving the cost down just as a hungrier customer arrived. — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

For instance, this option from Oak and Luna features a naturally occurring silicon carbide now grown almost entirely in labs, brings a more responsible origin story alongside genuine brilliance, ranking second only to diamond in hardness. — Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for silicon carbide

• acetaldehyde
• acetanilide
• arabinoside
• cycloheximide
• cyclophosphamide
• diethylamide
• dinucleotide
• ferricyanide
• ferrocyanide
• glutaraldehyde
• glyceraldehyde
• hydroperoxide

Medical Definition

silicon carbide

noun

: a very hard dark crystalline compound SiC of silicon and carbon that is used as an abrasive in dentistry