Etymology

T-ray

Today it means: An electromagnetic wave with a frequency intermediate between, and sharing the properties of, short radio waves and long infrared waves, generally in the 0.1 to 10 terahertz (THz) band of frequencies. Full definition →

First used mid 1990s
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The story

Initialism of t(erahertz) + ray, modelled after X-ray. The term was coined in Bell Labs in the United States in the mid-1990s.

First known use, by meaning

  • from mid 1990s An electromagnetic wave with a frequency intermediate between, and sharing the properties of, short radio waves and long infrared waves, generally in the 0.1 to 10 terahertz (THz) band of frequencies.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.