a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors
"Silicon, the second most abundant element in Earth's crust found in sand and granite, serves as a crucial semiconductor in modern computer chips."
A nonmetallic element (symbol Si) with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855.
"Modern smartphones rely on silicon chips to process data and run applications efficiently."
computing
In plain English: Silicon is a hard, gray chemical element that acts as the main building block for most computer chips and smartphones.
"Smartphones rely on silicon chips to process information quickly and efficiently."
Usage: Silicon is the solid chemical element used to make computer chips, not a liquid or gas often confused with silicone rubber products. Use this word when referring specifically to the material in electronics rather than synthetic polymers found in sealants and medical devices.
The name silicon was coined by Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson by modifying the earlier term silicium. It derives from the Latin word silex, meaning "flint" or "silica," combined with the suffix -on found in carbon.