Where does “半導体” come from?

半導体 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 半, from Middle Chinese 半.

半導体 (Japanese): a semiconductor

Definitions

  1. a semiconductor

Ancestry of “半導体”, step by step

半導体 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 半

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese半odd; half, semi-; Antonyms
2Middle Chinese半—

via Japanese 導体

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese導体conductor
Every word from Middle Chinese 半 →Every word from Japanese 半 →
半導体 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer