crystal detector

noun Radio.

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.

Origin of crystal detector

First recorded in 1905–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for crystal detector

crystal detector

noun

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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