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varistor

American  
[va-ris-ter, vuh-] / væˈrɪs tər, və- /

noun

Electricity.

  1. a resistor whose resistance automatically varies in proportion to the voltage of the current through it.

varistor British  
/ vəˈrɪstə /

noun

  1. a two-electrode semiconductor device having a voltage-dependent nonlinear resistance Compare varactor

"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 varistor

First recorded in 1940–45; var(iable) + (res)istor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The drill is meant to be powered by hot water but the entire effort had to shut down when a "varistor" - a variable resistor - on the boiler's circuit board burned out.

From BBC

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.