integrated circuit

American  

noun

Electronics.

1. a circuit of transistors, resistors, and capacitors constructed on a single semiconductor wafer or chip, in which the components are interconnected to perform a given function. IC

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integrated circuit British  

noun

1.  IC.  a very small electronic circuit consisting of an assembly of elements made from a chip of semiconducting material, such as crystalline silicon

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integrated circuit Scientific  

/ ĭn′tĭ-grā′tĭd /

1. A device made of interconnected electronic components, such as transistors and resistors, that are etched or imprinted onto a tiny slice of a semiconducting material, such as silicon or germanium. An integrated circuit smaller than a fingernail can hold millions of circuits.

2. Also called chip microchip

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integrated circuit Cultural  

1. A miniaturized electrical circuit built on a microchip.

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Etymology

Origin of integrated circuit

First recorded in 1955–60

Compare meaning

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

• microprocessor vs. integrated circuit

Example Sentences

In 1971, it introduced the first integrated circuit so powerful it could be called a “general-purpose programmable processor” — or microprocessor — the brain of a computer on a single chip.

From Washington Post

The prediction, which Moore said he plotted out on graph paper based on what had been happening with chips at the time, said the capacity and complexity of integrated circuits would double every year.

From Seattle Times

He observed, in the 1965 article, that thanks to technological improvements the number of transistors on microchips had roughly doubled every year since integrated circuits were invented a few years earlier.

From BBC

In an article he wrote in 1965, Moore observed that, thanks to improvements in technology, the number of transistors on microchips had roughly doubled every year since integrated circuits were invented a few years before.

From Reuters

In 1965, Moore made a simple observation that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit appeared to be doubling every year.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chip
• circuitry
• microchip
• microprocessor
• silicon chip