electron tube vs tube

electron tube

noun
  • Any of several electronic devices that control electron current through vacuum, gas or vapor between electrodes within a sealed container, usually of glass or metal and often designed to be easily installed in and removed from the equipment in which it is used. 

tube

noun
  • An approximately cylindrical container, usually with a crimped end and a screw top, used to contain and dispense semiliquid substances. 

  • Anything that is hollow and cylindrical in shape. 

  • The London Underground railway system, originally referred to the lower level lines that ran in tubular tunnels as opposed to the higher ones which ran in rectangular section tunnels. (Often the tube.) 

  • A television. Compare cathode ray tube and picture tube. 

  • A tin can containing beer. 

  • An idiot. 

  • A wave which pitches forward when breaking, creating a hollow space inside. 

verb
  • To supply with, or enclose in, a tube. 

  • To intubate. 

  • To ride an inner tube. 

How often have the words electron tube and tube occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )