common wire

American  

[kom-uhn wahy^uhr] / ˈkɒm ən ˌwaɪər /

noun

Electricity.

1. a separate or extra wire serving to supply a smart thermostat with continuous power from a heating or cooling system, without interfering with the signals that alert the system to turn the heating or cooling on or off.

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Etymology

Origin of common wire

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

The most common wire gauges used in U.S. residential buildings are 14, 12 and 10.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2021

This bottle was a mere ordinary bottle, with a common cork in its neck, into which a common wire had been inserted.

From Benjamin Franklin; Self-Revealed, Volume II (of 2) A Biographical and Critical Study Based Mainly on his own Writings by Bruce, Wiliam Cabell

Both eagles were firmly caught in these snares of rolled and twisted sinews, which, although not much thicker than common wire, were sufficiently strong to hold them.

From Winter Adventures of Three Boys by Laughlin, J. E.

Thermo-Electric Couples.—Any number of these couples may be put together and joined at each end to a common wire and a fairly large flow of current obtained thereby.

From Electricity for Boys by Zerbe, James Slough

Very close to it was a piece of railroad iron that must have been carried half a mile, bent as it it were but common wire.

From The Johnstown Horror!!! or, Valley of Death, being A Complete and Thrilling Account of the Awful Floods and Their Appalling Ruin by Walker, James Herbert