transistor

[ tran-zis-ter ]

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

1. Informal. transistorized:

   a transistor radio.

transistor

/ trænˈzɪstə /

noun

1. a semiconductor device, having three or more terminals attached to electrode regions, in which current flowing between two electrodes is controlled by a voltage or current applied to one or more specified electrodes. The device is capable of amplification, etc, and has replaced the valve in most circuits since it is much smaller, more robust, and works at a much lower voltage See also junction transistor field-effect transistor
2. informal.
   a transistor radio

transistor

/ trăn-zĭs′tər /

1. An electronic device that controls the flow of an electric current, most often used as an amplifier or switch. Transistors usually consist of three layers of semiconductor material, in which the flow of electric current across the outer layer is regulated by the voltage or current applied at the middle layer. Having replaced the vacuum tube, transistors are the basis of much modern electronic technology, including the microprocessor.
2. See also logic circuit

transistor

1. 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 .

Notes

The transistor is the basic device used in miniaturized electronic systems, such as portable radios, or as a fast switch in computers .

Word History and Origins

Origin of transistor¹

First recorded in 1945–50; trans(fer) + (res)istor

Word History and Origins

Origin of transistor¹

C20: originally a trademark, from transfer + resistor , referring to the transfer of electric signals across a resistor

Example Sentences

But semiconductor engineers are running up against the physical limits of Moore’s Law, a long-held projection that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit will double every two years, making them smaller and faster.

From Los Angeles Times

Zeiss’s EUV mirrors can reflect light at very small wavelengths which enables image clarity at a tiny scale, so more and more transistors can be printed on the same area of silicon wafer.

From BBC

Then the array of detached coils, capacitors, pins and transistors are sieved, sorted, sliced and diced as they move along a conveyor belt.

From BBC

“I will never know why I chose a guitar because a transistor radio was all I ever wanted,” she told the Guardian.

From Los Angeles Times

"We used a gate electrode embedded across the membrane to control the field through voltage in a similar way to how semiconductor transistors work in conventional circuits."

From Science Daily