diode

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a thermionic tube having two electrodes; used as a rectifier
  2. noun a semiconductor that consists of a p-n junction

Etymology

From di- (“two”) + -ode. Learned formation, coined by William Henry Eccles in 1919, after Ancient Greek δίοδος (díodos, “passage through”), which however is formed not with δι- (di-, “two”) but with δια- (dia-, “through”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

rectifying tube, rectifying valve

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