silicon

n : 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 [syn: {Si}, {atomic

number 14}]

silicon

1. The material used as the base (or

"substrate") for most {integrated circuit}s.

2. {Hardware}, especially {integrated circuit}s or

{microprocessor}-based computer systems (compare {iron}).

Contrast: {software}. See also {sandbender}.

[{Jargon File}]

(1996-05-28)