cathode

[ kath-ohd ]

/ ˈkæθ oʊd /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of cathode

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cathode

Unlike the cathode rays, they were not deflected by magnets; and neither did they seem to be reflected or refracted similarly.
Invention|Bradley A. Fiske
He also found that the liquid round the anode became acid, and that round the cathode alkaline.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 2|Various
Fig. 220 shows a Crookes tube fitted with a metal plate, so that the cathode rays coming from C will strike it.
Things a Boy Should Know About Electricity|Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew) St. John
It is not constant in this region, but increases as we approach the cathode.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 8|Various

Hittorf made in 1869 the discovery that solid objects could cast shadows or intercept this cathode discharge.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 2|Various

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 Formscathodal (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

Word Origin and History for cathode

cathode

1834, from Latinized form of Greek kathodos "a way down," from kata- "down" (see cata-) + hodos "way" (see cede). Proposed by the Rev. William Whewell (1794-1866), English polymath, and published by English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867). So called from the path the electric current was supposed to take. Related: Cathodic; cathodal. Cathode ray first attested 1880, but the phenomenon known from 1859; cathode ray tube is from 1905.

Science 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.