silicon
noun/ˈsɪlɪkən/
/ˈsɪlɪkən/
[uncountable] (symbol Si)
- a chemical element. Silicon exists as a grey solid or as a brown powder and is found in rocks and sand. It is used in making glass and transistors.Topics Physics and chemistryc1Oxford Collocations DictionarySilicon is used before these nouns:
- chip
Word Originearly 19th cent.: alteration of earlier silicium, from Latin silex, silic- ‘flint’, on the pattern of carbon and boron.
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silicon