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electrode

[ih-lek-trohd]
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noun Electricity.
  1. a conductor, not necessarily metallic, through which a current enters or leaves a nonmetallic medium, as an electrolytic cell, arc generator, vacuum tube, or gaseous discharge tube.
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Origin of electrode

First recorded in 1825–35; electr- + -ode2
Related formsin·ter·e·lec·trode, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

platewire

Examples from the Web for electrode

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for electrode

electrode

noun
  1. a conductor through which an electric current enters or leaves an electrolyte, an electric arc, or an electronic valve or tube
  2. an element in a semiconducting device that emits, collects, or controls the movement of electrons or holes
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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

Word Origin and History for electrode

n.

1834, coined by English physicist and chemist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) from electro- + Greek hodos "way" (see cede) on same pattern as anode, cathode.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
electrode in Medicine

electrode

(ĭ-lĕk′trōd′)
n.
  1. A solid electric conductor through which an electric current enters or leaves an electrolytic cell or other medium.
  2. A collector or emitter of electric charge or of electric-charge carriers, as in a semiconducting device.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
electrode in Science

electrode

[ĭ-lĕk′trōd′]
  1. A conductor through which an electric current enters or leaves a substance (or a vacuum) whose electrical characteristics are being measured, used, or manipulated. Electrodes can be used to detect electrical activity such as brain waves. Terminal points in electrical components such as transistors, diodes, and batteries are electrodes.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.