Zener diode
- noun
- /ˈzinər ˈdaɪoʊd/
- Specialized
:
diodo Zener
- During the experiment, the Zener diode successfully allowed current to flow in reverse at the designated voltage.
Examples
-
In the circuit, a Zener diode regulates the voltage to prevent damage to the components.
-
The electrical analogy of this system would be a large capacitor with a Zener diode to ground.
Academic text (2005) -
The engineer chose a Zener diode for the power supply to ensure stable voltage regulation.
Synonyms
An electronic part that keeps voltage steady in a circuit
Surface Forms
Morphology
Zener + diode
A learner who knows 'diode' will correctly infer that a Zener diode is a particular kind of diode (the proper name 'Zener' signals a subtype), but the specific technical function — allowing reverse current at a defined voltage for regulation — cannot be derived from the constituent words. Naming devices after inventors is common across languages, so the category is predictable but the specialized meaning is not, making it partially transparent.
Etymology
The term Zener diode is named after the scientist Clarence Zener, who described how a small electrical part can let current flow the other way once a set voltage is reached. Engineers gave his name to this kind of diode, so today a Zener diode is used 'to regulate voltage'.
