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 docking station will work with Apple silicon MacBooks and Mac minis. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

The addition of a silicon tracker layer on top of the detector would increase the amount of data from the $2 billion physics experiment over the next five years by a factor of three. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025

Marvell will host a webinar on custom silicon instead. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 7 May 2025

Beyond tariffs, Washington has tightened trade on critical items such as advanced silicon chips. —Danielle Kaye, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025

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