photoelectric

[ foh-toh-i-lek-trik ]

adjective

pertaining to the electronic or other electric effects produced by light.

Origin of photoelectric

First recorded in 1860–65; photo- + electric

Sometimes pho·to·e·lec·tri·cal .

Other words from photoelectric

pho·to·e·lec·tri·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby photoelectric

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use photoelectric in a sentence

Or there may be an inelastic collision, when the photon hits an atom and knocks out an electron—the old photoelectric effect.
The Mercenaries | Henry Beam Piper
Two photoelectric robot machine guns followed each movement of the duelists.
Thy Rocks and Rills | Robert Ernest Gilbert
He passed his hand rapidly over the photoelectric eye of the commo box.
Null-ABC | Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire
Here's your photoelectric light key for room 2305 F. That's on the two hundred thirtieth floor.
Stand by for Mars! | Carey Rockwell
When I went downstairs he followed me, quietly, and I could feel his wide photoelectric eye-cells upon my back.
Robots of the World! Arise! | Mari Wolf

British Dictionary definitions for photoelectric

photoelectric

photoelectrical

/ (ˌfəʊtəʊɪˈlɛktrɪk) /

adjective

of or concerned with electric or electronic effects caused by light or other electromagnetic radiation

Derived forms of photoelectric

photoelectrically, adverb
photoelectricity (ˌfəʊtəʊɪlɛkˈtrɪsɪtɪ), noun

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

Scientific definitions for photoelectric

photoelectric

[ fō′tō-ĭ-lĕk′trĭk ]

Relating to or exhibiting to electrical effects upon exposure to light. For example, some photoelectric materials emit electrons called photoelectrons upon exposure to certain frequencies of light; others, such as photoresistors and phototransistors, change their electrical properties. See also photoelectric effect.

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