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crystal detector

noun Radio.
  1. a device for rectifying a modulated radio-frequency signal, consisting of a crystal of germanium, silicon, galena, or the like with a cat whisker contact, permitting a high-frequency current to pass freely in one direction only: one of the two principal components of a crystal set.
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Origin of crystal detector

First recorded in 1905–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for crystal detector

crystal detector

noun
  1. electronics a demodulator, used esp in microwave circuits and in early radio receivers, consisting of a thin metal wire in point contact with a semiconductor crystal
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012