transistor
/tran-ZIS-ter/ · noun · Hacker Culture · Origin: 1947
Definitions
A semiconductor device that acts as an electronic switch or amplifier, replacing the vacuum tube and enabling the miniaturization of all modern electronics. The invention of the transistor in 1947 is arguably the most important technological breakthrough of the 20th century, making everything from pocket radios to billion-transistor processors possible.
In plain English: A tiny electronic switch that replaced big, hot vacuum tubes and made modern computers possible — your phone has billions of them.
Example: A modern Apple M4 chip contains around 28 billion transistors — each one a tiny switch that is either on or off.