English Explanatory Dictionary

transistor

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals, which can be used for amplification, switching, voltage stabilization, signal modulation, and many other functions.
  2. A transistor radio.

Pronunciation

/tɹænˈzɪs.tɚ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-transistor.wav

Word forms

transistor transistors

Etymology

Blend of transfer + resistor. Said to have been coined by American engineer John Robinson Pierce in 1947, who used transresistance as the basis for forming transistor.

Derived words

FET junction transistor pass transistor post-transistor silicon planar epitaxial transistor TFT thin-film transistor transistorize transistorized transistor radio UJT
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