dielectric

[dahy-i-lek-trik]Electricity

noun

a nonconducting substance; insulator.

a substance in which an electric field can be maintained with a minimum loss of power.

adjective

of or relating to a dielectric substance.

Origin of dielectric

First recorded in 1830–40; di-³ + electric

Related formsdi·e·lec·tri·cal·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for dielectric

Historical Examples of dielectric

You see, the dielectric constant of this material isn't constant at all.
Security
Poul William Anderson
The dielectric consisted of about equal parts of hard paraffin and vaseline.
On Laboratory Arts
Richard Threlfall
A portion of the charge was absorbed by the dielectric itself.
Faraday As A Discoverer
John Tyndall
According to Faraday's theory the particles of air, the dielectric, between A and C play a most important part in the process.
Aether and Gravitation
William George Hooper
Dielectric, dī-e-lek′trik, adj. non-conducting: transmitting electric effects without conducting.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for dielectric

dielectric

noun

a substance or medium that can sustain a static electric field within it

a substance or body of very low electrical conductivity; insulator

adjective

of, concerned with, or having the properties of a dielectric

Derived Formsdielectrically, adverb

Word Origin for dielectric

from dia- + electric

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

dielectric in Science

dielectric

[dī′ĭ-lĕk′trĭk]

Adjective

Having little or no ability to conduct electricity, generally as a result of having no electrons that are free to move.

Noun

A dielectric substance, especially one used in a capacitor to maintain an electric field between the plates.

dielectric in Culture

dielectric

[(deye-i-lek-trik)]

A material that conducts (see conduction) electricity poorly or not at all. If a voltage is applied to a dielectric, the atoms in the material arrange themselves in such a way as to oppose the flow of electric current (see also current). Glass, wood, and plastic are common dielectrics. (See insulator.)