cold cathode

noun

A type of cathode that does not use a heating element to produce emission of cathode rays (electrons), beyond base thermionic emission (usually by field electron emission, secondary emission, or photoelectric emission).

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Meanings

nouncold cathode (plural cold cathodes)

plural cold cathodes · alternative cold-cathode

  1. businessA type of cathode that does not use a heating element to produce emission of cathode rays (electrons), beyond base thermionic emission (usually by field electron emission, secondary emission, or photoelectric emission).

    On the open portions of the platforms the loudspeakers are installed on the cold cathode lighting columns.

    1962 June, “The Eastern Region completes the Colchester scheme”, in Modern Railways, page 412
Cite this entry
APA

cold cathode. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20cathode

MLA

“cold cathode.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20cathode. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cold cathode,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20cathode.

Source: cold cathode on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.