any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures; used in lubricants and adhesives and coatings and synthetic rubber and electrical insulation
"The engineer selected silicone for the gasket because its exceptional stability across extreme temperatures made it ideal for sealing high-heat industrial machinery."
Any of a class of inert, semi-inorganic polymeric compounds (polysiloxanes), that have a wide range of thermal stability and extreme water repellence, used in a very wide range of industrial applications, and in prosthetic replacements for body parts.
"Engineers use silicone to create durable seals and flexible prosthetic components due to its exceptional heat resistance and ability to repel water."
In plain English: Silicone is a flexible, waterproof material often used to make kitchen tools and medical devices that stays soft even when it gets very hot or cold.
"She applied silicone to her hairline after getting a tattoo to help reduce swelling."
Usage: Silicone refers to the synthetic material used in sealants, cookware, and medical devices rather than natural rubber or silicon metal. It is often confused with "silicon," which is an element found in computer chips but lacks the flexible properties of silicone products.
Silicone is formed from the word silicon and the suffix -one, originally coined to describe an artificial compound intended as the silicon version of a chemical class known as ketones. Although it was created through human experimentation rather than found in nature, this name stuck even though modern silicone does not function exactly like its original target molecule.