Meanings
nountransistor (plural transistors)
plural transistors
- semiconductorsA solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals, which can be used for amplification, switching, voltage stabilization, signal modulation, and many other functions.
Switches and transistors control the flow of electricity like valves and faucets control water. Resistors limit the flow of electricity. […] Light is transmitted from the color LED, through the fiber optic cable, to control the NPN transistor (Q2) and red LED (D1).
2017 October 28, “Snap Circuits Light”, in Snap Circuits, Elenco, pages 9, 59 - datedinformalmetonymicallyA transistor radio.
Turn your transistor on and let the music play
1978, Billy Joel, Half a Mile Away
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna semiconductor device capable of amplification
Similar
junction transistorelectronic transistor
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Blend of transfer + resistor. Said to have been coined by American engineer John Robinson Pierce in 1947, who used transresistance as the basis for forming transistor.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تْرَانْزِسْتُور
- تْرَانْزِسْتُور (tranzistur)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Bulgarian транзи́стор, транзи́стор
- транзи́стор (tranzístor)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- транзи́стор (tranzístor)small portable radio
Catalan transistor, transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- transistorsmall portable radio
Chinese Cantonese 電晶體 /电晶体, 晶體管 /晶体管
- 電晶體 /电晶体solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- 晶體管 /晶体管solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- 原子粒solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Chinese Mandarin 晶體管 /晶体管, 電晶體 /电晶体
- 晶體管 /晶体管 (jīngtǐguǎn)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- 電晶體 /电晶体 (diànjīngtǐ)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Czech tranzistor, tranzistor
- tranzistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- tranzistorsmall portable radio
- tranďáksmall portable radio
Danish transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Dutch transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Estonian transistor, transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- transistorsmall portable radio
Finnish transistori
- transistorisolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
French transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
German Transistor
- Transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Greek κρυσταλλοτρίοδος, τρανζίστορ
- κρυσταλλοτρίοδος (krystallotríodos)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- τρανζίστορ (tranzístor)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Hebrew טרנזיסטור, טרנזיסטור
- טרנזיסטור (tranzístor)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- טרנזיסטור (tranzístor)small portable radio
Hungarian tranzisztor
- tranzisztorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Icelandic smári
- smárisolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Indonesian transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Italian transistor, transistore
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- transistoresolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- radiolinasmall portable radio
- transistorsmall portable radio
Japanese トランジスタ
- トランジスタ (toranjisuta)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Korean 트랜지스터
- 트랜지스터 (teuraenjiseuteo)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Latvian transistors
- transistorssolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Lithuanian tranzistorius, tranzistorius
- tranzistoriussolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- tranzistoriussmall portable radio
Malay transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Māori whitiārai
- whitiāraisolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Norwegian Bokmål transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Polish tranzystor, tranzystor
- tranzystorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- tranzystorsmall portable radio
Portuguese transístor, transístor
- transístorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- transístorsmall portable radio
Romanian tranzistor, tranzistor
- tranzistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- tranzistorsmall portable radio
Russian транзи́стор, транзи́стор
- транзи́стор (tranzístor)solid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- транзи́стор (tranzístor)small portable radio
- радиоприёмник (radioprijómnik)small portable radio
- приёмник (prijómnik)small portable radio
Spanish transistor, transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- transistorsmall portable radio
Swedish transistor, transistor
- transistorsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
- transistorsmall portable radio
Tagalog saligwil
- saligwilsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Turkish transistör
- transistörsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Vietnamese bóng bán dẫn
- bóng bán dẫnsolid-state semiconductor device, with three terminals
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with transistor
sistermisterresistortwisterblisterBicesterthermistorthyristorvaristormixterbistrecisterclystersister from another misterxyster
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
transistor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transistor
MLA
“transistor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transistor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “transistor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transistor.
Source: transistor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.