1. 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
   "Silicon is the primary material in computer chips";
   - Si, atomic number 14

Derived forms: silicons

Type of: semiconducting material, semiconductor

Part of: clay, feldspar, felspar, granite, quartz, sand, silicone, silicone polymer

Encyclopedia: Silicon