/sil"ayn/ , n. Chem.
1. Also called silicon tetrahydride . a gas with an unpleasant odor, SiH 4 , soluble in water: used as a doping agent for semiconductors in the production of solid-state devices.
2. any of a class of silicon hydrides analogous to the alkanes.
[ Silan (1916); see SILICON, -ANE ]