cathode ray

noun

1
cathode rays plural : the high-speed electrons emitted in a stream from the heated cathode of a vacuum tube
2
: a stream of electrons emitted from the cathode of a vacuum tube
usually used in plural

Examples of cathode ray in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The cathode rays Crookes observed in his vacuum tubes were as evanescent as any ghost. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 The Private Eye was essentially a tiny computer monitor that the user positioned over one eye for a private, heads-up computer display that could serve as a portable replacement for a desktop cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor or portable LCD on a conventional IBM PC compatible of the time. Benj Edwards and Jose Zagal, Ars Technica, 15 May 2024 That means straight beams of light drawn from A to B, electrons shot straight and narrow onto a cathode ray tube that glows in response. Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 4 Jan. 2024 Moreover, the electrons have about the same energy as those inside an old-style cathode ray tube television: again, a pittance by particle accelerator standards. Rahul Rao, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023 Speaking with Ars, Abraham recalled how, as a teenager, the top floor of his parents' split-level Australian home would become a grueling sauna thanks to a combination of the summer sun outside and a gaming PC (with cathode ray tube monitor) hemorrhaging heat inside. Daniel Starkey, Ars Technica, 4 Sep. 2022 In the United States at least, the cathode ray tube technology that yielded television in the 1950s remained pretty much unchanged from the 1950s until the 2000s. Amy Shira Teitel, Discover Magazine, 7 Sep. 2017 Imagine generations of children unacquainted with the chattering of angels lodged deep within the recesses of an old cathode ray tube TV. Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2012 Home entertainment systems primarily consisted of bulky cathode ray tube TVs, VCRs and maybe a Nintendo 64 or PlayStation video game console. Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 30 July 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cathode ray was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near cathode ray

Cite this Entry

“Cathode ray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cathode%20ray. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cathode ray

noun
1
: one of the high-speed electrons driven in a stream from the heated cathode of a vacuum tube under the force of a strong electric field
2
: a stream of cathode-ray electrons

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