cathode

[ kath-ohd ]

/ ˈkæθ oʊd /

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noun

the electrode or terminal by which current leaves an electrolytic cell, voltaic cell, battery, etc.

the positive terminal of a voltaic cell or battery.

the negative terminal, electrode, or element of an electron tube or electrolytic cell.

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Origin of cathode

1825–35; <Greek káthodos a way down, equivalent to kat- cat- + hodós way

Words nearby cathode

cathetus, cathexis, Cathie, Cathleen, Catho, cathode, cathode dark space, cathode glow, cathode ray, cathode rays, cathode-ray tube

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

How to use cathode in a sentence

Every zinc-air battery cell contains two electrodes — a zinc anode and a porous cathode — separated by a liquid called an electrolyte.
Zinc-air batteries are typically single-use. A new design could change that|Maria Temming|January 5, 2021|Science News
Nearly all of that lithium then returns to the cathode during the discharge cycle.
This super-energy-dense battery could nearly double the range of electric vehicles|James Temple|December 8, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Xiaomi has also jettisoned the reflective cathode layer that would normally make the screen opaque, even when there’s no image.
The best entertainment tech of 2020|Stan Horaczek|December 3, 2020|Popular-Science
The carmaker’s decision to make its own battery cells, and to enter production of battery cathodes and associated raw materials, is intended to add in-house capacity alongside deals with external suppliers as demand for electric vehicles rises.
Tesla is trying to mine its own lithium|Verne Kopytoff|September 29, 2020|Fortune

The cathode can be one of several lithium-containing materials.
Batteries should not burst into flames|Carolyn Wilke|April 16, 2020|Science News For Students
His discovery was in effect that electric rays emanated from the part of the tube struck by the cathode rays.
Invention|Bradley A. Fiske
The plate where the current goes out, the cathode, C, increases in weight since some of the silver is deposited.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
The diagram, of the tube shows that the main tube has been expanded round the edges of the cathode.
On Laboratory Arts|Richard Threlfall
This is to reduce the heating consequent on the projection of cathode rays from the edges of the disc against the glass tube.
On Laboratory Arts|Richard Threlfall
When the annealing is finished the side tube is bent as shown to serve as a handle when the time comes to mount the cathode.
On Laboratory Arts|Richard Threlfall

British Dictionary definitions for cathode

cathode

/ (ˈkæθəʊd) /

noun

the negative electrode in an electrolytic cell; the electrode by which electrons enter a device from an external circuit

the negatively charged electron source in an electronic valve

the positive terminal of a primary cell

Compare anode

Derived forms of cathode

cathodal (kæˈθəʊdəl), cathodic (kæˈθɒdɪk, -ˈθəʊ-) or cathodical, adjective

Word Origin for cathode

C19: from Greek kathodos a descent, from kata- down + hodos way

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 cathode

cathode

[ kăth′ōd′ ]

The negative electrode in an electrolytic cell, toward which positively charged particles are attracted. The cathode has a negative charge because it is connected to the negatively charged end of an external power supply.

The source of electrons in an electrical device, such as a vacuum tube or diode.

The positive electrode of a voltaic cell, such as a battery. The cathode gets its positive charge from the chemical reaction that happens inside the battery, not from an external source. Compare anode.