Standard Lemma guide

thyristor

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • rhymes with -ɪstə(ɹ)

1

noun

Meaning 1

A semiconductor diode having an extra "gate" terminal to switch it on.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Blend of thyratron (1930) + transistor (1947). First attested c. 1965, as an alternative name for the Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) developed in the late 1950s.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: tiristor — semiconductor diode
  • Dutch: thyristor — semiconductor diode
  • Finnish: tyristori — semiconductor diode
  • French: thyristor — semiconductor diode
  • German: Thyristor — semiconductor diode
  • Romanian: tiristor — semiconductor diode
  • Russian: тиристор (tiristor) — semiconductor diode
  • Serbo-Croatian: тиристор (tiristor) — semiconductor diode
  • Spanish: tiristor — semiconductor diode
  • Swedish: tyristor — semiconductor diode