pentode

[ pen-tohd ]

noun

, Electronics.

1. a vacuum tube having five electrodes, usually a plate, three grids, and a cathode, within the same envelope.

pentode

/ ˈpɛntəʊd /

noun

1. an electronic valve having five electrodes: a cathode, anode, and three grids
2. modifier (of a transistor) having three terminals at the base or gate

pentode

/ pĕn′tōd′ /

1. Any electron tube with the basic structure and functionality of a triode, but including two extra electrodes, a screen and a suppressor grid . The screen helps the tube respond well at high frequencies (as in a tetrode ), while a negatively charged suppressor grid adjacent to the plate prevents secondary emission of electrons from the plate, increasing the efficiency of the tube.
2. See more at suppressor

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentode¹

1915–20; pent- ( def ) + -ode ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentode¹

C20: from penta- + Greek hodos way

Example Sentences

Remember how he went to all the trouble of building a pentode vacuum tube for a job that could have been done by transistors.

From Project Gutenberg