silicon
Meaning
A non-metallic chemical element with atomic number 14, found widely in the earth's crust in silica and silicates, and used especially in making electronic devices and glass.
Structure
Usage
Silicon is the principal component of most semiconductor chips.
The valley's economy is built upon the silicon chip industry.
Sand, which contains silica, is a major source of silicon.
Etymology
The word 'silicon' is a modern scientific creation from the early 19th century. It was coined by English chemist Thomas Thomson in 1817, who took the Latin root 'silic-', referring to flint or hard stone, and appended the suffix '-on' to align it with the naming pattern for non-metallic elements like carbon. The Latin 'silex' itself is of uncertain, possibly pre-Latin, origin. The choice of root was logical, as silicon is a key component of silica (silicon dioxide), the primary mineral in flint and quartz, thus directly linking the element's name to its most abundant natural compound.
Analysis
'silic' is from Latin 'silex' (genitive 'silicis'), meaning "flint, pebble, hard stone." 'on' is a modern English suffix used to form names of inert chemical elements (e.g., carbon, boron).