noun
silicon
SIH-lih-kuhn
noun
1
A hard, non-metallic chemical element (symbol Si) that is the basis of computer chips and most rock and sand on Earth.
"Silicon chips power almost every modern computer."
"Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust after oxygen."
How to Use Silicon
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe chemical element that computer chips and most rocks and sand are made from.
Common mistake
Silicon is the element; silicone is the flexible synthetic material used in kitchenware and implants — they are not the same thing.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
silicon chip
Silicon Valley
silicon wafer
Word Forms
silicons plural
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_____ chips power almost every modern computer.
Etymology
Coined by the Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson, adapting an earlier name from Latin silex, "flint," by analogy with "carbon."