di·ode (d   d )n. 1. An electronic device that restricts current flow chiefly to one direction. 2. An electron tube having a cathode and an anode. 3. A two-terminal semiconductor device used chiefly as a rectifier. |   thermionic diode |
diode [ˈdaɪəʊd]
n
1. (Engineering / Electrical Engineering) a semiconductor device containing one p-n junction, used in circuits for converting alternating current to direct current More formal name semiconductor diode
2. (Engineering / Electrical Engineering) the earliest and simplest type of electronic valve having two electrodes, an anode and a cathode, between which a current can flow only in one direction. It was formerly widely used as a rectifier and detector but has now been replaced in most electrical circuits by the more efficient and reliable semiconductor diode
[from di-1 + -ode2]
| diode (dd) An electrical device with two active terminals, an anode and a cathode, through which current passes more easily in one direction (from anode to cathode) than in the reverse direction. Diodes have many uses, including conversion of AC power to DC power, and the decoding of audio-frequency signals from radio signals. |  The heated cathode generates a cloud of electrons that are attracted by the anode, causing a current to flow from the cathode to the anode. Because the anode cannot generate electrons of its own, the current cannot flow in the opposite direction. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  diode - a thermionic tube having two electrodes; used as a rectifierelectron tube, thermionic tube, thermionic vacuum tube, thermionic valve, vacuum tube, tube - electronic device consisting of a system of electrodes arranged in an evacuated glass or metal envelope |
| 2. | diode - a semiconductor that consists of a p-n junction LED, light-emitting diode - diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used semiconductor device, semiconductor unit, semiconductor - a conductor made with semiconducting material |
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