Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Relating to or having two stable states.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Having two stable states.
  • noun computing, electronics A flip-flop.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

bi- +‎ stable

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word bistable.

Examples

  • The circuit is called a bistable because it is stable in two states: output high and output low.

    LearnHub Activities 2009

  • It is based on a reflective MEMS-based technology, inspired from butterfly iridescence, called interferometric modulation, or IMOD for short, which "is both bistable, meaning it is both extremely low power, and highly reflective, meaning the display itself can be seen even in direct sunlight," according to the official website.

    Softpedia News - Global Sebastian Pop 2010

  • It is based on a reflective MEMS-based technology, inspired from butterfly iridescence, called interferometric modulation, or IMOD for short, which "is both bistable, meaning it is both extremely low power, and highly reflective, meaning the display itself can be seen even in direct sunlight," according to the official website.

    Softpedia - Windows - All Sebastian Pop 2010

  • Like an E-Ink pixel, each Mirasol subpixel is bistable, meaning that it's stable in either the "open" or "closed" states, and it requires power only to switch states; this bistability gives it its low-power characteristics.

    Ars Technica 2009

  • Since the mirror uses ambient light to make the screen visible, no backlighting is necessary; the membranes are also bistable, meaning that once set to create a specific color they require virtually no power to maintain it.

    SlashGear 2008

  • Since the mirror uses ambient light to make the screen visible, no backlighting is necessary; the membranes are also bistable, meaning that once set to create a specific color they require virtually no power to maintain it.

    SlashGear 2008

  • This MEMS-based innovation is both bistable, meaning it is both extremely low power, and highly reflective, meaning the display itself can be seen even in direct sunlight. "

    TreeHugger 2009

  • This MEMS-based innovation is both bistable, meaning it is both extremely low power, and highly reflective, meaning the display itself can be seen even in direct sunlight. "

    TreeHugger 2009

  • Like E Ink and other electrophoretic displays, it is reflective and bistable.

    Is There a Mirasol in the eReader Future? « Steve Wildstrom on Tech 2010

  • Like E Ink and other electrophoretic displays, it is reflective and bistable.

    2010 April « Steve Wildstrom on Tech 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.