A vacuum tube containing six electrodes, used in early radio and electronic equipment.
From hex- (six) + -ode (electrode suffix, from Greek hodos meaning 'way'). The term emerged in the early 20th century when vacuum tube technology was rapidly developing and engineers needed names for tubes with increasing numbers of electrodes.
Before transistors revolutionized electronics, hexodes were cutting-edge technology that let engineers build smaller radios—the name itself tells the story of how engineers systematized vacuum tubes by counting their electrodes.
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