silicon

noun

sil·i·con | \ ˈsi-li-kən

, ˈsi-lə-ˌkän\

Definition of silicon

: 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 ferrosilicon for steelmaking, in other alloys, and in semiconductors — see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of silicon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The transceiver is a 4.4 millimeter square, silicon chip. — Lilly Nguyen, Daily Pilot, "UCI electrical engineering team looks ‘Beyond 5G’ with new wireless transceiver," 26 July 2019 The revolutionary design of the AGC did include the first silicon chips ever used in a computer — a substance still used in chips today. — Rich Pope, orlandosentinel.com, "Apollo era ushered in technology still part of everyday life 50 years later," 10 May 2019 Rio's state secretary of prison administration released photos showing da Silva in a silicon girl's mask and long dark-haired wig, wearing tight jeans and a pink shirt with a cartoon image of donuts. — Htv National Desk, Houston Chronicle, "Brazil gang leader dresses up as daughter in jail escape bid," 5 Aug. 2019 Rio's State Secretary of Prison Administration released photos showing da Silva in a silicon girl's mask and long dark-haired wig, wearing tight jeans and a pink shirt with a cartoon image of donuts. — NBC News, "Brazil gang leader dresses up as daughter in failed jail escape attempt," 4 Aug. 2019 Look for products containing oils and silicons, which build a barrier on the hair, helping to keep the moisture in the air from getting under the cuticle. — Abigail Whittington, Good Housekeeping, "10 Ways to Tame and Get Rid of Frizzy Hair for Good," 27 June 2019 The team expected to find the presence of silicon, iron and phosphorous in the spectrum, but their discovery of a different element was a shocker. — Rachel Crowell, Scientific American, "The Universe’s First Stars Exploded in Strange Ways," 31 May 2019 For RHIC’s 15th run, which began Feb. 10, scientists have upgraded the PHENIX detector with a new tungsten-silicon hybrid tracking device to help detect radiation from gluons deep inside the colliding particles. — Quanta Magazine, "In LHC’s Shadow, America’s Collider Awakens," 6 Mar. 2015 But parenting-by-proxy is training kids to find their solace in screens and silicon; Anita becomes the logical next step. — John C. Havens, Quartz, "Will we lose our rights as parents once robots are better at raising our kids?," 10 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'silicon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Silicoflagellatae

silicomagnesiofluorite

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6 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for silicon

The first known use of silicon was in 1817

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More Definitions for silicon

silicon

noun

English Language Learners Definition of silicon

: a chemical element that is found in the Earth's crust and is used especially in computers and electronics

See the full definition for silicon in the English Language Learners Dictionary

silicon

noun

sil·i·con | \ ˈsi-li-kən

, ˈsi-lə-ˌkän\

Kids Definition of silicon

: a chemical element that next to oxygen is the most common element in the earth's crust and is used especially in electronic devices

silicon

noun

sil·i·con | \ ˈsil-i-kən

, ˈsil-ə-ˌkän

Medical Definition of silicon

: 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