capacitor

[ kuh-pas-i-ter ]

/ kəˈpæs ɪ tər /

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noun Electricity.

a device for accumulating and holding a charge of electricity, consisting of two equally charged conducting surfaces having opposite signs and separated by a dielectric.

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Also called condenser.

Origin of capacitor

First recorded in 1925–30; capacit(y) + -or²

Words nearby capacitor

capacitate, capacitation, capacitive, capacitive coupling, capacitive reactance, capacitor, capacity, capactin, cap and bells, cap and gown, cap and trade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use capacitor in a sentence

His explications always track, even when expounding on “the flux capacitor” and other time-travel hooey.
Christopher Lloyd is still playing characters who are unhinged — and larger than life|Karen Heller|August 26, 2021|Washington Post
Though the capabilities of the flux capacitor are completely fictional and purely fun, there’s no shame in indulging in some sci-fi.
Prepare for time travel with this flux capacitor|Quinn Gawronski|July 13, 2021|Popular-Science
The post Prepare for time travel with this flux capacitor appeared first on Popular Science.
Prepare for time travel with this flux capacitor|Quinn Gawronski|July 13, 2021|Popular-Science
Aluminum surfaces on the walls and ceiling would conduct electricity from capacitors as it travels back to a copper pole in the center of the room.
Xiaomi’s long-range wireless charger shows a glimpse of a cord-free future|Stan Horaczek|February 1, 2021|Popular-Science

The capacitor also powered a sensor that measured the saltiness of that person’s sweat.
Working up a sweat may one day power up a device|Carolyn Wilke|June 29, 2020|Science News For Students
To return to his present day, his flux capacitor needed a providential shaft of lightning.
Stop Trying to Balance Budgets!|Harold Evans|June 28, 2010|DAILY BEAST
"Nice job these babies got," commented Gaines as he checked the capacitor circuits.
The Small World of M-75|Ed M. Clinton, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for capacitor

capacitor

/ (kəˈpæsɪtə) /

noun

a device for accumulating electric charge, usually consisting of two conducting surfaces separated by a dielectricFormer name: condenser

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for capacitor

capacitor

[ kə-păs′ĭ-tər ]

An electrical device consisting of two conducting plates separated by an electrical insulator (the dielectric), designed to hold an electric charge. Charge builds up when a voltage is applied across the plates, creating an electric field between them. Current can flow through a capacitor only as the voltage across it is changing, not when it is constant. Capacitors are used in power supplies, amplifiers, signal processors, oscillators, and logic gates. Compare induction coil resistor.

Cultural definitions for capacitor

capacitor

[ (kuh-pas-i-tuhr) ]

A device used in electrical circuits. The capacitor stores an electrical charge for short periods of time, and then returns it to the circuit.