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

That has caused a dizzying boom in business for companies that make the silicon microchips used to crunch huge amounts of data in these facilities.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

The island is home to hardware production giants TSMC, which turns Nvidia's cutting-edge designs into silicon components, and Foxconn, which assembles the processors to make data centre servers.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

As a result, the chip becomes sensitive across a much wider spectral range than standard silicon sensors.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

Every component of the AI buildout — power, silicon, steel, water — is in short supply and getting more expensive.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

His mother, a hippie by orientation, worked as a legal secretary; his stepfather was a physicist and engineer who designed machines that made silicon wafers, which computer microprocessors are built on.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel