microchip
microchip Lexical Profile
microchip Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A very small piece of semiconductor material, typically silicon, containing microscopic electronic circuits used in computers and other electronic devices.
"Modern smartphones rely on advanced microchips to process billions of calculations per second."
A tiny electronic transponder implanted under the skin of a domestic animal to provide permanent identification.
"The veterinarian scanned the lost dog's microchip to find the owner's contact information."
• verb
To implant a tiny electronic identification chip under the skin of an animal.
"Most animal shelters microchip cats and dogs before they are adopted by new families."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 1960s from the combining form 'micro-' (from Ancient Greek mikros, meaning 'small') and 'chip' (in its electronic sense of a small wafer of silicon).