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

To build the most advanced chips, TSMC fits billions of these transistors onto silicon wafers. —Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

Intel, the main dabbler in such CPUs in recent years, pushes the performance envelope with these chips, but without introducing significant changes to the silicon. —PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024

Though computers are made of silicon and copper, brains are not. —S. I. Rosenbaum, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2024

South Korean memory chips make up the largest market share in China, and the country is behind only Japan for supplying silicon wafers to China, according to a February report from the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy cited by Bloomberg. —Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024

China controls over 80 percent of manufacturing and makes over 95 percent of the world’s silicon wafers, a key component. —Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

These results are impressive, as Intel continues to optimize both silicon and its OpenVino inference software. —Karl Freund, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

This will enable us to take a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that span Windows client and cloud for this AI era. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 25 Mar. 2024

The tray is designed for large silicon casings and can accommodate tubes up to 29 ounces. —Nor'adila Hepburn, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Mar. 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