diode
noun
di·ode ˈdī-ˌōd 
: an electronic device that has two electrodes or terminals and is used especially as a rectifier
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Inside the container is a pulsing light source (LED, laser diode, or similar small device) that transmits through the fiber and hits a detector at the end of the fiber called a photodetector. 
Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 11 Apr. 2022 The diode and Nd:YAG lasers, however, have longer wavelengths and generally bypass pigment in the skin. Jessica Cruel, SELF, 25 Jan. 2022 This enables the panel to deliver more precise control over how each diode is powered, resulting in, according to LG Display, subtler colour and detail performance. John Archer, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021 Paul Rothchild, who was our producer, looked in his bag and pulled out a diode. Devon Ivie, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2021 In 1957, Esaki and colleagues made the first demonstration of solid tunneling effects in physics, leading to a device that would come to bear his name: the Esaki tunnel diode, the first quantum electronic device. Tom Mullaney, Quartz, 29 May 2021 Each individual pixel is a diode that provides its own illumination, so the screen doesn’t need a backlight. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 Each individual pixel is a diode that provides its own illumination, so the screen doesn’t need a backlight. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 Each individual pixel is a diode that provides its own illumination, so the screen doesn’t need a backlight. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 See More
Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 11 Apr. 2022 The diode and Nd:YAG lasers, however, have longer wavelengths and generally bypass pigment in the skin. Jessica Cruel, SELF, 25 Jan. 2022 This enables the panel to deliver more precise control over how each diode is powered, resulting in, according to LG Display, subtler colour and detail performance. John Archer, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021 Paul Rothchild, who was our producer, looked in his bag and pulled out a diode. Devon Ivie, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2021 In 1957, Esaki and colleagues made the first demonstration of solid tunneling effects in physics, leading to a device that would come to bear his name: the Esaki tunnel diode, the first quantum electronic device. Tom Mullaney, Quartz, 29 May 2021 Each individual pixel is a diode that provides its own illumination, so the screen doesn’t need a backlight. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 Each individual pixel is a diode that provides its own illumination, so the screen doesn’t need a backlight. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 Each individual pixel is a diode that provides its own illumination, so the screen doesn’t need a backlight. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
di- + -ode
Note: The term was originated by the British physicist William Henry Eccles (1875-1966) in the journal The Electrician, vol. 82, no.16 (April 18, 1919), p. 475.
First Known Use
1919, in the meaning defined above