In silico is an expression used to mean “performed on computer or via computer simulation.” The phrase was coined in 1989 as an analogy to the Latin phrases in vivo and in vitro which are commonly used in biology (see also systems biology) and refer to experiments done in living organisms and outside of living organisms, respectively.
I’d never seen this expression used before today, but I like it more than the clumsy-sounding alternative “on the computer”, at least for written language.
I read it today at the blog How Plants Work in the context of “virtual landscaping”:
Landscape designers have been using cad programs for years. But thanks to web-based apps such as Second Life® and Google Sketchup anyone so-inclined can landscape in silico.
I think it could catch on if more people use it — I was able to understand what it meant in that context, which is a good sign of its potential.