SILICON
silicon, Si, atomic number
(noun) 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
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
silicon (usually uncountable, plural silicons)
(chemistry, uncountable) A nonmetallic element (symbol Si) with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855.
Synonyms: silicium (obsolete), silicum (obsolete)
(chemistry, countable) A single atom of this element.
Usage notes
Do not confuse silicon with silicone.
Etymology 2
From the silicon chips used in computers
Noun
silicon (uncountable)
(slang) computing
(slang) computer processor
Abbreviation of silicon chip.
Source: Wiktionary
Sil"i*con, n. Etym: [See Silica.] (Chem.)
Definition: A nonmetalic element analogous to carbon. It always occurs
combined in nature, and is artificially obtained in the free state,
usually as a dark brown amorphous powder, or as a dark crystalline
substance with a meetallic luster. Its oxide is silica, or common
quartz, and in this form, or as silicates, it is, next to oxygen, the
most abundant element of the earth's crust. Silicon is
characteristically the element of the mineral kingdom, as carbon is
of the organic world. Symbol Si. Atomic weight 28. Called also
silicium.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition