electrode

American  

[ih-lek-trohd] / ɪˈlɛk troʊd /

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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electrode British  

/ ɪˈlɛktrəʊd /

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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electrode Scientific  

/ 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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Other Word Forms

• interelectrode
  noun

Etymology

Origin of electrode

First recorded in 1825–35; electr- + -ode ²

Example Sentences

Electrode arrays that sit on the brain's surface are most often used to map seizure-related brain activity in people with epilepsy.

From Scientific American • Sep. 1, 2023

Electrode maker De Nora priced its IPO at 13.50 euros per share, at the bottom of a range stretching up to 16.50 euros, securing about 40% of the offer from two cornerstone investors.

From Reuters • Jun. 28, 2022

Electrode footpads emit a small, safe signal that zips through water-rich muscle tissue and slows when it hits fat.

From Time Magazine Archive

How the Three Electrode Tube Acts as a Detector.—The vacuum tube as a detector has been made very much more sensitive by the use of a third electrode shown in Fig.

From The Radio Amateur's Hand Book by Collins, A. Frederick (Archie Frederick)

This volume contains two memoirs, one by Hittorff on the "Conduction of Electricity in Gases," and the other by Puluj on "Radiant Electrode Matter and the So-called Fourth State."

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 795, March 28, 1891 by Various