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

Anthropic has initiated a hiring drive for an in-house chip design team, signaling its entry into custom silicon development for Claude AI. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

French firm Mistral is also said to be considering developing its own silicon chips. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026

That acceleration confirms that custom AI accelerators and networking silicon are becoming a major growth engine rather than a side business. — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026

These machines etch circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, a critical part in the process of producing semiconductors, and are primarily made by Dutch manufacturer ASML. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 2 Aug. 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