silicone

silicone — noun

1. A man-made substance based on the element silicon. It stays flexible and does no

1.nounB2
Definition

A man-made substance based on the element silicon. It stays flexible and does not easily break down from water or high temperatures. Silicone is used to make items such as sealants, kitchen tools, medical parts, and lubricants.

Example

Dario used liquid silicone to fill the crack in the bathroom wall.

collocation: liquid silicone

The chef showed Kasia how to use a silicone brush for oiling the pan.

modifier use: silicone + noun (brush)

Common collocations
  • silicone sealant
  • silicone implant
  • silicone bakeware
  • silicone mold
  • silicone case
  • liquid silicone
  • silicone-based
  • medical-grade silicone
Synonyms
  • rubber

    more general term for flexible natural or synthetic materials; silicone is one type of synthetic rubber

  • polymer

    broader chemical category; silicone is a specific type of synthetic polymer

  • sealant

    describes a common use rather than the material itself; many sealants are made of silicone

Usage Note

Silicone is an uncountable noun and is rarely used in the plural. Do not confuse it with 'silicon', which is the chemical element (Si) used to make computer chips and solar panels — silicone is a manufactured material made from silicon and other elements.

Common Mistakes

My phone case is made of silicon.
My phone case is made of silicone.
Silicon is the element used in electronics; silicone is the soft, flexible material used for cases and kitchen tools.

Word family

  • silicon
    nounB2
  • silica
    nounC1
  • silicate
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Silicone, rubber, and plastic are all versatile materials, but they differ in origin and properties. Rubber can be natural (from tree sap) or synthetic. Silicone is always a man-made polymer that stays flexible across a wider temperature range than natural rubber and does not harden with age. Plastic covers a huge family of synthetic materials that are usually rigid when set, unlike silicone which stays soft and bendable. The most confusing pair is 'silicon' and 'silicone'. Silicon is a chemical element (Si), a hard, grey solid used to make computer chips and solar panels. Silicone is a manufactured substance made from silicon combined with oxygen and other elements. 'My phone contains silicon chips' (the element). 'My phone has a silicone case' (the soft protective material).

rubber ↗plastic ↗silicon ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

  • made from silicone
  • made of silicone

Etymology

EnglishLatin (silex, silicis 'flint')Modern English (silicone, coined 1901)

The word 'silicone' was invented in the early 1900s by the British chemist Frederic Kipping. He combined 'silicon' (the element) with '-one', a suffix he borrowed from chemistry terms for ketones, because he thought the new material had a similar formula to ketone compounds. Later research showed silicones are not true ketones, but the name stuck.