thyratron

noun

thy·​ra·​tron ˈthī-rə-ˌträn How to pronounce thyratron (audio)
: a gas-filled hot-cathode electron tube in which the grid controls only the start of a continuous current thus giving the tube a trigger effect

Examples of thyratron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Each quantizer employed five VT-109/2051 thyratrons. IEEE Spectrum, 25 Jan. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Greek thýra "door" + -tron — more at door

Note: The American physicist and electrical engineer Albert W. Hull (1880-1966) is credited with coinage of this word and several other names of electron tubes (as magnetron) ; see C.G. Suits and J.M. Lafferty, Albert Wallace Hull, 1880-1966, A Biographical Memoir, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., 1970.

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thyratron was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Thyratron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thyratron. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

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