/ ˈsɪlɪkən; NAmE / noun
[ U ] ( symb 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 .
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WORD ORIGIN
early 19th cent.: alteration of earlier silicium , from Latin silex , silic- flint, on the pattern of carbon and boron .