Piezo

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Relating to or denoting the electric charge generated in certain materials, such as crystals or ceramics, when subjected to mechanical stress; a device or material exhibiting this property; this principle applied in sensors, actuators, and transducers
2. Concerning the phenomenon where mechanical pressure on specific substances produces an electric voltage; any apparatus using this effect to convert mechanical energy into electrical signals or vice versa; often employed in sound devices and precision instruments
3. Pertaining to the generation of electrical energy from applied physical force in certain solids; a component or system that utilizes this interaction for detection or conversion purposes; commonly found in electronic and measurement technologies

Etymology: Piezo- comes from the Greek "piezein", meaning "to press" or "to squeeze", and the prefix was built from that root for physics and chemistry terms. The most striking part of the story is the physical discovery behind it: certain crystals, such as quartz, produce an electric charge when they are squeezed, and the reverse also holds, so they change shape when a voltage is applied. The name thus describes the act of pressing that sets the effect off. The word "piezo" on its own is a clipped form of that prefix, used as a shorthand in English for the phenomenon and for devices built on it. A piezo is often a small disc or strip of such a material, pressed into service as a sensor, a buzzer, a microphone element, or a precision actuator.

Synonyms: piezoelectric