silicon

American  

[sil-i-kuhn, -kon] / ˈsɪl ɪ kən, -ˌkɒn /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a nonmetallic element, having amorphous and crystalline forms, occurring in a combined state in minerals and rocks and constituting more than one fourth of the earth's crust: used in steelmaking, alloys, etc. Si; 28.086; 14; 2.4 at 20°C.

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silicon British  

/ ˈsɪlɪkən /

noun

1. 1. a brittle metalloid element that exists in two allotropic forms; occurs principally in sand, quartz, granite, feldspar, and clay. It is usually a grey crystalline solid but is also found as a brown amorphous powder. It is used in transistors, rectifiers, solar cells, and alloys. Its compounds are widely used in glass manufacture, the building industry, and in the form of silicones. Symbol: Si; atomic no: 14; atomic wt: 28.0855; valency: 4; relative density: 2.33; melting pt: 1414°C; boiling pt: 3267°C

   2. (modifier; sometimes capital) denoting an area of a country that contains a density of high-technology industry

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silicon Scientific  

/ sĭl′ĭ-kŏn′ /

1. A metalloid element that occurs in both gray crystalline and brown noncrystalline forms. It is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust and can be found only in silica and silicates. Silicon is used in glass, semiconductors, concrete, and ceramics. Atomic number 14; atomic weight 28.086; melting point 1,410°C; boiling point 2,355°C; specific gravity 2.33; valence 4.

2. See Periodic Table

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silicon Cultural  

1. A chemical element from which semiconductors are made. It is also used in the manufacture of glass, concrete, brick, and pottery.

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Etymology

Origin of silicon

1817; silic(a) + -on, as in carbon and boron

Compare meaning

How does silicon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• silica vs. silicon

Example Sentences

"This design is especially attractive because it does not require any component that is difficult to make on this erbium-doped silicon nitride chip," explains Zheru Qiu, a co-leading author of the paper.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026

Huawei’s goal is to match the performance of a cutting-edge chip by 2031, by stacking on older silicon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Huang said Tuesday that Nvidia is "supply constrained" although "we have enough supply for very robust growth", referring to the gamut of materials used to make computer chips, from silicon wafers to advanced memory components.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

The proliferation of tens of millions of AI agents—or autonomous bots that are capable of doing many tasks—has changed how companies like Nvidia design and market their silicon products and other tools.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Novae occur only in binary systems and are powered by hydrogen fusion; supernovae occur in single stars and are powered by silicon fusion.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan