DIODE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does diode mean? 

• DIODE (noun)
  The noun DIODE has 2 senses:

1. a thermionic tube having two electrodes; used as a rectifier

2. a semiconductor that consists of a p-n junction

  Familiarity information: DIODE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DIODE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A thermionic tube having two electrodes; used as a rectifier

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

diode; rectifying tube; rectifying valve

Hypernyms ("diode" is a kind of...):

electron tube; thermionic tube; thermionic vacuum tube; thermionic valve; tube; vacuum tube (electronic device consisting of a system of electrodes arranged in an evacuated glass or metal envelope)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A semiconductor that consists of a p-n junction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

crystal rectifier; diode; junction rectifier; semiconductor diode

Hypernyms ("diode" is a kind of...):

semiconductor; semiconductor device; semiconductor unit (a conductor made with semiconducting material)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "diode"):

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)

 Context examples 

A type of diode designed to emit light when a current passes through it.

(Light Emitting Diode Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

By taking advantage of an energy source that has long been overlooked, Ndao said, the thermal diode could also help limit the amount of energy that gets wasted.

(Harnessing Heat to Power Computers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Light-emitting diode therapy is type of photodynamic therapy which uses a special type of light to activate the drug.

(Light-emitting diode therapy, NCI Dictionary)

A device designed to signal the occurrence of a particular event by activating a light emitting diode.

(Light Emitting Diode Alarm Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

Calcium sulfide is used as pigment in paints, plastics, textiles, ceramic and glass and is also used in solar cells, smoke and radiation detectors, light-emitting diodes and photomultipliers.

(Cadmium Sulfide, NCI Thesaurus)

Within a couple of minutes, the liquid revived the bacteria, which produced enough electrons to power a light-emitting diode and a calculator.

(New Type of Battery Created from Paper, Fueled by Bacteria, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

For a light source, they used a compact blue laser diode that was powered by 3 AAA batteries.

(Smartphone microscope detects nanoparticles and viruses, NIH)

Also called light-emitting diode therapy.

(LED therapy, NCI Dictionary)

Sidy Ndao, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering, said his research group's development of a nano-thermal-mechanical device, or thermal diode, came after flipping around the question of how to better cool computers.

(Harnessing Heat to Power Computers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)