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half-wave rectifier

noun Electronics.

a rectifier that changes only one half of a cycle of alternating current into a pulsating, direct current.

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Compare full-wave rectifier.

Origin of half-wave rectifier

First recorded in 1925–30

Related formshalf-wave rectification, noun

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