>"The term "thyratron" is derived from Ancient Greek "θύρα" ("thyra"), meaning "door" or "valve". The term "thyristor" was further derived from a combination of

>"The term "thyratron" is derived from Ancient Greek "θύρα" ("thyra"), meaning "door" or "valve". The term "thyristor" was further derived from a combination of "thyratron" and "transistor".[2]" [...] >"Thyratrons can handle much greater currents than similar hard-vacuum tubes. Electron multiplication occurs when the gas becomes ionized, producing a phenomenon known as a Townsend discharge." Related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsend_discharge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsend_discharge (Hmm, I wonder if Townsend Discharge is related in any meaningful way to the phenomena of Negative Resistance (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_resistance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_resistance) in common fluorescent light bulbs...)