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transistors

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tran⋅sis⋅tor

  [tran-zis-ter]
Use transistors in a Sentence
–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
3. Informal. transistorized: a transistor radio.
Origin:
1945–50; trans(fer) + (res)istor
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tran·sis·tor   (trān-zĭs'tər, -sĭs'-)   
n.  

  1. A small electronic device containing a semiconductor and having at least three electrical contacts, used in a circuit as an amplifier, detector, or switch.

  2. A transistor radio.


[trans(fer) + (res)istor.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

transistor

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.

Note: The transistor is the basic device used in miniaturized electronic systems, such as portable radios, or as a fast switch in computers.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

transistor 
"small electronic device," 1948, from transfer + resistor, so called because it transfers an electrical current across a resistor. Said to have been coined by U.S. electrical engineer John Robinson Pierce (1910-2002) of Bell Telephone Laboratories, Murray Hill, N.J., where the device was invented in 1947. It that took over many functions of the vacuum tube. Transistor radio is first recorded 1958.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tran·sis·tor
Pronunciation: tranz-'is-t&r, tran(t)s-
Function: noun
: a solid-state electronic device that is used to controlthe flow of electricity in electronic equipment and consists of a small block of a semiconductor (as germanium) with at least three electrodes
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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