Coolidge tube
noun
Coo·lidge tube
| \ ˈkü-lij-
\
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Medical Definition of Coolidge tube
: a vacuum tube for the generation of X-rays in which the cathode consists of a spiral filament of incandescent tungsten and the target serves as the anode and consists of massive tungsten and in which the temperature of the cathode determines the intensity of the X-rays while the applied voltage determines wavelength