Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
silicon [sil-i-kuh n, -kon] ExamplesWord Origin noun Chemistry.
- 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. Symbol: Si; atomic weight: 28.086; atomic number: 14; specific gravity: 2.4 at 20°C.
Origin of silicon 1817; silic(a) + -on, as in carbon and boron Can be confusedsilicon silicone Examples from the Web for silicon Contemporary Examples of silicon
A brilliant Silicon Valley entrepreneur may have found a way to get dark money out of politics without changing any laws.
How to Fight Corruption With Game Theory
Mark McKinnon
November 29, 2014
Greer is a young, entrepreneurial, poker-loving Texan who ended up in Silicon Valley.
How to Fight Corruption With Game Theory
Mark McKinnon
November 29, 2014
In Silicon Valley proper, that number increases to $108,603, marking a 7.2 percent year-over-year increase.
Silicon Valley Interns Make a Service Worker’s Yearly Salary In Three Months
Samantha Allen
November 25, 2014
Normally Democratic Silicon Valley opened up its wallets to the Republicans this time out.
Earth to DNC: Dyspeptic Dad Still Votes, Too
Lloyd Green
November 11, 2014
South of Silicon Valley, an entire town is being deformed, slowly, by plate tectonics.
Silicon Valley Mansions, Swallowed Alive
Geoff Manaugh
November 8, 2014
Historical Examples of silicon
Their pseudo-flesh is composed mainly of silicon and fluorine.
Edward Elmer Smith
One of the best of these is a mixture of iron and silicon, called ferro-silicon.
Mary Huston Gregory
Of these silicon fluoride is the most familiar and interesting.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry
William McPherson
I guess we understand each other, so you and he had better start for the Silicon.
Albert Walter Tolman
This variety is composed of the oxides of aluminium and silicon with lime.
The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones
John Mastin
British Dictionary definitions for silicon silicon noun
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- 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
- (modifier; sometimes capital)denoting an area of a country that contains a density of high-technology industry
Word Origin for silicon C19: from silica, on the model of boron, carbon Word Origin and History for silicon n.
nonmetallic element, 1817, coined by British chemist Thomas Thomson from silica (silicon dioxide), from which it was isolated. The name is patterned on carbon, etc. Silicon chip first attested 1965; Silicon Valley for the Santa Clara Valley south of San Francisco, U.S., first attested 1974, from the concentration of manufacturers of silicon chips used in computers, watches, etc.
silicon in Medicine silicon [sĭl′ĭ-kən, -kŏn′] n. Symbol Si
- A nonmetallic element occurring extensively in the earth’s crust in silica and silicates, having both an amorphous and a crystalline allotrope and used in glass and semiconducting devices and in surgical implants. Atomic number 14.
silicon in Science silicon [sĭl′ĭ-kŏn′] Si
- 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. See Periodic Table.
silicon in Culture silicon [(sil-i-kon, sil-i-kuhn)]
A chemical element from which semiconductors are made. It is also used in the manufacture of glass, concrete, brick, and pottery.