constantan

[kawn-stuh n-tan]

noun

an alloy containing approximately 55 percent copper and approximately 45 percent nickel, used for electrical resistance heating and thermocouples.

Origin of constantan

First recorded in 1900–05; constant + -an

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

British Dictionary definitions for constantan

constantan

noun

an alloy of copper (60 per cent) and nickel (40 per cent). It has a high resistivity that does not vary significantly with temperature and is used in resistors and, with copper, in thermocouples

Word Origin for constantan

C20: formed from constant

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