tubo de rayos catódicos
/tubo de ɾaʝos katodikos/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase "cathode ray tube" is tubo de rayos catódicos in Spanish.
tubo de rayos catódicos refers to a vacuum tube that displays images. In technical contexts, Spanish speakers often use the English acronym CRT instead of the full Spanish name.
Meaning: vacuum tube that displays images (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation where tubo means tube, rayos means rays and catódicos means cathodic.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective catódicos is plural to agree with the plural noun rayos.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, if a CRT monitor is broken, people might say it has quemado el tubo, which literally means the tube has 'burned'.
- The word rayos in this phrase describes beams of light, but it is also the standard Spanish word for 'lightning bolts'.
- The word tubo is highly versatile in Spanish, used for electronics as well as a 'tube' of toothpaste or lipstick.
Examples in context
- Aún conservo mi antigua tele de tubo.I still have my old cathode ray tube TV.
- Los monitores de pantalla de tubo son cada vez más difíciles de encontrar.Cathode ray tube monitors are getting harder and harder to find.
- El monitor antiguo usa un tubo de rayos catódicos.The old monitor uses a cathode ray tube.
- Ese televisor viejo tiene un tubo de rayos catódicos.That old television has a cathode ray tube.
- El tubo de rayos catódicos es muy pesado.The cathode ray tube is very heavy.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are looking at an old computer monitor in a garage.
- ElenaMira este monitor, es un tubo de rayos catódicos.Look at this monitor, it is a cathode ray tube.
- MateoEs enorme comparado con las pantallas actuales.It is huge compared to current screens.
- Elena¿Todavía funciona este tubo de rayos catódicos?Does this cathode ray tube still work?
- MateoNo lo sé, Mateo tendría que probarlo.I don't know, Mateo would have to test it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cathode ray tube” translations and entries tubo de rayos catódicos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
