diode

[ dahy-ohd ]

nounElectronics.
  1. a device, as a two-element electron tube or a semiconductor, through which current can pass freely in only one direction.

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Origin of diode

1
First recorded in 1919; di-1 + -ode2

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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British Dictionary definitions for diode

diode

/ (ˈdaɪəʊd) /


noun
  1. a semiconductor device containing one p-n junction, used in circuits for converting alternating current to direct current: More formal name: semiconductor diode

  2. the earliest and simplest type of electronic valve having two electrodes, an anode and a cathode, between which a current can flow only in one direction. It was formerly widely used as a rectifier and detector but has now been replaced in most electrical circuits by the more efficient and reliable semiconductor diode

Origin of diode

1
C20: from di- 1 + -ode ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for diode

diode

[ ōd′ ]


  1. An electrical device with two active terminals, an anode and a cathode, through which current passes more easily in one direction (from anode to cathode) than in the reverse direction. Diodes have many uses, including conversion of AC power to DC power, and the decoding of audio-frequency signals from radio signals.

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