Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
thermion

thermion

9.9
A tiny charged particle like an electron that comes out of a material when it is heated
  • noun
  • /ˈθɜrmiˌɒn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : termión
  • The heated filament in a vacuum tube releases thermions that enable current to flow.

Examples

  • The study focused on how thermion emission is affected by the type of material used.

  • A thermion is released when the metal is heated.

  • At high temperatures, metals emit thermions due to increased energy of their electrons.

  • The thermions emitted from the heated surface are essential for the experiment.

  • At high temperatures, metals emit thermions due to increased energy of their electrons.

  • The heated filament in a vacuum tube releases thermions that enable current to flow.

  • The thermions emitted from the heated surface are essential for the experiment.

Surface Forms

thermion singular
thermions plural

Morphology

thermion = therm (semi-transparent) = therm + ion

Formed regularly from the combining form 'therm' (heat) + nominalizing suffix '-ion', but the precise technical sense 'charged particle emitted by heating' is specialized and not fully predictable by general learners.

Etymology

The word thermion comes from the parts therm- meaning 'heat' and -ion meaning 'a charged particle', the same ion you see in science words. So a thermion is a particle 'from heat', which helps you remember it is a charged particle given off when something gets very hot.