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.

---

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

The ringing buttons at each station are connected between the tip of the plug at that station and the upper common wire.

From Cyclopedia of Telephony and Telegraphy, Vol. 2 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. by McMeen, Samuel

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.

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

One, seemingly in charge, held a weapon in his hand, a slender tube no thicker than a common wire; and ending in a cylinder within the creature's hand.

From Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930 by Various