silicon
noun
Simple meaning
A nonmetallic element with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
siluhkuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɪləkən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
chemistryuncountable
A nonmetallic element (symbol Si) with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855.
chemistrycountable
A single atom of this element.
A wafer of silicon on which an integrated circuit has been built; a microchip
chemistryuncountable
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
slang
Computing.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A nonmetallic element (symbol Si) with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855.
Used this way, silicon is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An extremely hard blue-black crystalline compound (SiC) used as an abrasive and a heat refractory material.
Electronic equipment consisting of a small crystal of a silicon semiconductor fabricated to carry out a number of electronic functions in an integrated circuit.
A white or colorless vitreous insoluble solid (SiO2).
A white or colorless vitreous insoluble solid (SiO2).
A region in California to the south of San Francisco that is noted for its concentration of high-technology industries.
A bronze with 2-3% silicon that is resistant to corrosion.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.