Where does “transistor” come from?
Transistor derives from English resistor and English conductance, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European terh₂- meaning to cross or overcome.
transistor (English): A solid-state semiconductor device, with three...
Definitions
- A solid-state semiconductor device, with three...
Ancestry of “transistor”, step by step
transistor traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English resistor
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | resistor | One who resists, especially a person who fights... |
| 2 | English | ‐or | Creates an agent noun, often from a verb, indicating a person or object (often machines or parts of them) that do the verb or part of speech with which they are formed |
| 3 | Middle English | -our | — |
| 4 | Old French | -eor | Alternative form of -or |
| 5 | Latin | -ator | -ator, -er; second-person singular future passive... |
| 6 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |
via English transfer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | transfer | To move or pass from one place, person or thing... |
| 2 | Latin | trānsferre | — |