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

Using the new method, the researchers directly observed how UV radiation alters chemical bonds involving hydrogen, silicon, and boron atoms near the surface of high-efficiency silicon solar cells. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026

The company combines its silicon with EC2 instance families, Neuron software and SageMaker integration. —Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Spending a few minutes tooling around on ChatGPT-3’s website, and if not an oracle in silicon, the program is unequivocally able to produce writing at about the level of a B-freshman composition paper. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

What's the cost curve of the silicon in the system? —Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 20 Jan. 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