vacuum tube
noun
Also called, especially British, vacuum valve.
an electron tube from which almost all air or gas has been evacuated: formerly used extensively in radio and electronics.
a sealed glass tube with electrodes and a partial vacuum or a highly rarefied gas, used to observe the effects of a discharge of electricity passed through it.
Origin of vacuum tube
First recorded in 1775–85
Words nearby vacuum tube
vacuum frame,
vacuum gauge,
vacuum pan,
vacuum pump,
vacuum servo,
vacuum tube,
vacuum-pack,
vacuum-packed,
vacuumize,
vad,
vade mecum
Example sentences from the Web for vacuum tube
It was only a matter, he said, of transferring a man's habit patterns from brain cells to vacuum-tube cells.
The Tunnel Under The World |Frederik PohlThis glow is conceived to represent the Aurora, which may consequently be likened to a gigantic exhibition of vacuum-tube lights.
Curiosities of the Sky |Garrett ServissHe guessed that they were housings for vacuum-tube elevator shafts that led to underground caves.
The Revolt on Venus |Carey RockwellRadiofrequency power is supplied to the dee by a vacuum-tube oscillator.
LRL Accelerators |Lawrence Radiation Laboratory
British Dictionary definitions for vacuum tube
Scientific definitions for vacuum tube
vacuum tube
An electron tube from which all air has been removed. The vacuum ensures transparency inside the tube for electric fields and moving electrons. Most electron tubes are vacuum tubes; cathode-ray tubes, which include television picture tubes and other video display tubes, are the most widely used vacuum tubes. In other electronic applications, vacuum tubes have largely been replaced by transistors.