varactor

American

[vuh-rak-ter] / vəˈræk tər /

noun

a semiconductor diode whose capacitance changes to match applied voltage, used to tune circuits by varying the reactance.

varactor British

/ ˈvɛəˌræktə /

noun

a semiconductor diode that acts as a voltage-dependent capacitor, being operated with a reverse bias Compare varistor

"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

Etymology

Origin of varactor

1955–60; var(iable re)actor

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023