rectifier

[ rek-tuh-fahy-er ]

noun
  1. a person or thing that rectifies.

  2. Electricity. an apparatus in which current flows more readily in one direction than the other, for changing an alternating current into a direct current.

  1. the apparatus that in distillation separates the most volatile material by condensing it; condenser.

Origin of rectifier

1
First recorded in 1605–15; rectify + -er1

Words Nearby rectifier

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

How to use rectifier in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rectifier

rectifier

/ (ˈrɛktɪˌfaɪə) /


noun
  1. an electronic device, such as a semiconductor diode or valve, that converts an alternating current to a direct current by suppression or inversion of alternate half cycles

  2. chem an apparatus for condensing a hot vapour to a liquid in distillation; condenser

  1. a thing or person that rectifies

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 rectifier

rectifier

[ rĕktə-fī′ər ]


  1. An electrical device that converts alternating current to direct current. Rectifiers are most often made of a combination of diodes, which allow current to pass in one direction only. Compare converter transformer.

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