crystal detector: Meaning and Definition of

crys'tal detec'tor

Pronunciation: [key]
— Radio. Radio.
  1. a device for rectifying a modulated radio-frequency signal, consisting of a crystal of germanium, silicon, galena, or the like with a cat whisker contact, permitting a high-frequency current to pass freely in one direction only: one of the two principal components of a crystal set.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.