silicon

sil·i·con  (sl-kn, -kn)

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 doped or in combination with other materials in glass, semiconducting devices, concrete, brick, refractories, pottery, and silicones. Atomic number 14; atomic weight 28.086; melting point 1,410°C; boiling point 2,355°C; specific gravity 2.33; valence 4. See Table at element.

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[From silica.]

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silicon [ˈsɪlɪkən]

n

(Chemistry / Elements & Compounds)

a.  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

b.  (modifier; sometimes capital) denoting an area of a country that contains a density of high-technology industry

[from silica, on the model of boron, carbon]

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silicon  (sl-kn)

Symbol 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.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

silicon - 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 atomic number 14, Si chemical element, element - any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter quartz - a hard glossy mineral consisting of silicon dioxide in crystal form; present in most rocks (especially sandstone and granite); yellow sand is quartz with iron oxide impurities clay - a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired semiconducting material, semiconductor - a substance as germanium or silicon whose electrical conductivity is intermediate between that of a metal and an insulator; its conductivity increases with temperature and in the presence of impurities feldspar, felspar - any of a group of hard crystalline minerals that consist of aluminum silicates of potassium or sodium or calcium or barium granite - plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz sand - a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral silicone, silicone polymer - 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

Translations

silicon [ˈsɪlɪkən]

A. N → silicio m

B. CPD silicon carbide N → carburo m de silicio
silicon chip N → chip m or plaqueta f de silicio

silicon [ˈsɪlɪkən] n → silicium m
Silicon Alley n → Silicon Alley quartier où se concentrent de nombreuses entreprises informatiques)f >
silicon chip n → puce f de silicium

silicon

n → Silizium nt

silicon [ˈsɪlɪkən] n → silicio