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

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

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

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

Each of the sleeve-contact anvils is connected through the coil of the line relay to another common wire 2, which connects with the live side of the common battery.

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