An oscillator in which a parallel-tuned tank circuit has two voltage-dividing capacitors in series, with their common connection going to the cathode in the electron-tube version and the emitter circuit in the transistor version.
A Colpitts oscillator, named after its inventor Edwin H. Colpitts, is one of a number of designs for electronic oscillator circuits. One of the key features of this type of oscillator is its simplicity and robustness.