ignitron

ig·ni·tron

 (ĭg-nī′trŏn′, ĭg′nĭ-)

n.

A single-anode, mercury-vapor rectifier in which current passes as an arc between the anode and a mercury-pool cathode, used in power rectification.

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[igni(te) + -tron.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ignitron

(ɪɡˈnaɪtrɒn; ˈɪɡnɪˌtrɒn)

n

(Electronics) a mercury-arc rectifier controlled by a subsidiary electrode, the igniter, partially immersed in a mercury cathode. A current passed between igniter and cathode forms a hot spot sufficient to strike an arc between cathode and anode

[C20: from igniter + electron]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ig•ni•tron

(ɪgˈnaɪ trɒn, ˈɪg nɪ trɒn)

n.

a rectifying vacuum tube with an auxiliary electrode projecting into a pool of mercury that conducts current when the anode is positive.

[1930–35; igni (te) + -tron]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.