dry cell

noun Electricity.

a cell in which the electrolyte exists in the form of a paste, is absorbed in a porous medium, or is otherwise restrained from flowing.

Compare battery(def 1).

Origin of dry cell

First recorded in 1890–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dry cell

Contemporary Examples of dry cell

Even at local stationary stores and small electric stores, I could not find any dry-cell batteries.
Shocking Videos and Photos From the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
The Daily Beast
March 11, 2011

Historical Examples of dry cell

There are several kinds of batteries, as liquid, dry-cell and storage.
Mechanical Devices in the Home
Edith Louise Allen
His father told us that he always had dry-cell and other batteries around the house.
Analyzing Character
Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb
Fill the dry-cell vessel with this solution and allow it to remain until the blotting paper is completely saturated.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2
Various

British Dictionary definitions for dry cell

dry cell

noun

a primary cell in which the electrolyte is in the form of a paste or is treated in some way to prevent it from spillingCompare wet cell

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

dry cell in Science

dry cell

A galvanic electric cell, such as a flashlight battery, in which the chemicals in the electrolyte are made into a paste so that they cannot easily spill from their container. Compare wet cell.