silicon

noun

sil·​i·​con ˈsi-li-kən How to pronounce silicon (audio) ˈsi-lə-ˌkän How to pronounce silicon (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Anthropic is building out a silicon team to design custom chips for its models and recently hired Caitlin Kalinowski, a hardware executive who previously worked at OpenAI, Meta and Apple, according to LinkedIn. — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 Particularly, researchers improved monolithic perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells by adding an ultra-thin seed layer of cesium chloride between the sub-cells. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026 For starters, the announcement introduces the M6 processor, the first of what is sure to be a wider family of sixth-generation Apple silicon. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026 Amazon and other cloud-computing providers, still the biggest buyers of Nvidia chips, have been developing in-house silicon designs and even selling them to third parties. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for silicon

Word History

Etymology

New Latin silica + English -on (as in carbon)

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of silicon was in 1814

Phrases Containing silicon

Browse Nearby Words

silicomanganese
silicon
silicon bronze
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Silicon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silicon. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

silicon

noun
sil·​i·​con ˈsil-i-kən How to pronounce silicon (audio)
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 How to pronounce silicon (audio) ˈsil-ə-ˌkän How to pronounce silicon (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on silicon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about silicon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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