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View synonyms for transistor

transistor

[ tran-zis-ter ]

noun

  1. Electronics. a semiconductor device that amplifies, oscillates, or switches the flow of current between two terminals by varying the current or voltage between one of the terminals and a third: although much smaller in size than a vacuum tube, it performs similar functions without requiring current to heat a cathode.
  2. Informal. a transistorized radio.


adjective

  1. Informal. transistorized:

    a transistor radio.

transistor

/ trænˈzɪstə /

noun

  1. a semiconductor device, having three or more terminals attached to electrode regions, in which current flowing between two electrodes is controlled by a voltage or current applied to one or more specified electrodes. The device is capable of amplification, etc, and has replaced the valve in most circuits since it is much smaller, more robust, and works at a much lower voltage See also junction transistor field-effect transistor
  2. informal.
    a transistor radio


transistor

/ trăn-zĭstər /

  1. An electronic device that controls the flow of an electric current, most often used as an amplifier or switch. Transistors usually consist of three layers of semiconductor material, in which the flow of electric current across the outer layer is regulated by the voltage or current applied at the middle layer. Having replaced the vacuum tube, transistors are the basis of much modern electronic technology, including the microprocessor.
  2. See also logic circuit


transistor

  1. An electronic device that can work as an amplifier , transforming weak electrical signals into strong ones. It is normally made from silicon or other semiconductors .


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Notes

The transistor is the basic device used in miniaturized electronic systems, such as portable radios, or as a fast switch in computers .

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Word History and Origins

Origin of transistor1

First recorded in 1945–50; trans(fer) + (res)istor

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Word History and Origins

Origin of transistor1

C20: originally a trademark, from transfer + resistor , referring to the transfer of electric signals across a resistor

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Example Sentences

People had been carrying around music for several years – transistor radios, the Walkman, etc.

Electronically, that machine is the equivalent of an early transistor radio.

At the Namegabe home, the transistor radio, charged with batteries, was the property of the men.

The electrical properties of this odd specimen are unusual and interesting and could lead to a new type of transistor.

There was a miniature pocket radio—a transistor radio—on top of the short wave cabinet.

The PDP-3 circuitry is the static type using saturating transistor flip-flops and, for the most part, transistor switch elements.

You mean them tiny transistor things that feelie actors have stuck in their heads?

It was a tiny transistor, an integral part of modern electronic apparatus.

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