cathode ray

American  

noun

1. a flow of electrons emanating from a cathode in a vacuum tube and focused into a narrow beam.

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cathode ray Scientific  

1. A beam of electrons streaming from the negatively charged end of a vacuum tube (the cathode) toward a positively charged plate (the anode).

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Etymology

Origin of cathode ray

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The ’90s may have been a simpler time technologically, a fact underscored by the cathode ray tube television sets and first-generation Apple Macintosh computers that populate the photos.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2022

“It’ll come sooner,” he said, standing between the computers controlling the sluice gates and an old cathode ray tube TV set.

From Washington Post • Oct. 30, 2021

When high voltage was applied across the electrodes, a visible beam called a cathode ray appeared between them.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The facility stores waste such as household appliances and cathode ray tubes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2016

They had discovered the X ray, the cathode ray, the electron, and radioactivity, invented the ohm, the watt, the Kelvin, the joule, the amp, and the little erg.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson