constantan

[ kawn-stuhn-tan ]

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

Origin of constantan

1
First recorded in 1900–05; constant + -an

Words Nearby constantan

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British Dictionary definitions for constantan

constantan

/ (ˈkɒnstənˌtæn) /


noun
  1. 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

Origin of constantan

1
C20: formed from constant

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