Diode Meaning
/ˈdaɪ.əʊd/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn electronic device that allows current to flow in one direction only; used chiefly as a rectifier.
Sentence Examples
The diode is a key component in electronics.
The diode rectified the alternating current.
The electronic circuit requires a light-emitting diode to indicate power.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the circuit, the ____ allows current to flow only in one direction.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a key component in electronics.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I propose to give the name diode to a tube with two electrodes."
— 1919 April 18, William Eccles, Electrician, page 475:
"If a crystal or a diode is used, the amplifier-voltmeter combination may be used with an amplitude-modulated source; or with a c-w source, the detector may be connected to a microammeter or galvanometer as an indicating device."
— 1949, Samuel Silver, Microwave Antenna Theory and Design, page 593:
"In this circuit when the diode is forward biased, the voltage across the diode remains fairly close to the diode's barrier potential."
— 2005, Robert Diffenderfer, Electronic Devices: Systems and Applications, page 69:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
In the circuit, the ____ allows current to flow only in one direction.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a key component in electronics.