grid
[grid]
- a grating of crossed bars; gridiron.
- Electricity.
- a metallic framework employed in a storage cell or battery for conducting the electric current and supporting the active material.
- a system of electrical distribution serving a large area, especially by means of high-tension lines.
- Electronics. an electrode in a vacuum tube, usually consisting of parallel wires, a coil of wire, or a screen, for controlling the flow of electrons between the other electrodes.
- Surveying. a basic system of reference lines for a region, consisting of straight lines intersecting at right angles.
- a network of horizontal and perpendicular lines, uniformly spaced, for locating points on a map, chart, or aerial photograph by means of a system of coordinates.
- Architecture. a rectangular system of coordinates used in locating the principal elements of a plan.
- grillage.
- Football. gridiron(def 1).
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Origin of grid
First recorded in 1830–40; short for gridiron
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for grid
Contemporary Examples
It was around noon that Brinsley chucked the phone behind a radiator at the basketball stadium and went off the grid.
Adding vehicles to the grid could be a boon to vehicle and fleet owners in several ways.
At night, the homes will continue to draw power from the grid.
The power produced will be used by the house, while excess power will flow into the grid and be used by nearby homes.
For one, these maps often use narrative to chart the landscape, rather than constraining it to a grid with coordinates.
Historical Examples
Presently the ship was locked onto by the grid's force-fields.
Pariah PlanetMurray Leinster
Calhoun made contact with the grid and was promptly lowered to the ground.
Pariah PlanetMurray Leinster
At the negative plate, we have pure spongy lead, and the grid.
The Automobile Storage BatteryO. A. Witte
The "grid" is connected to the aerial wire to intercept the radio waves.
The Automobile Storage BatteryO. A. Witte
My light was cut off; my grid showed only the blank deck and door.
grid
- See gridiron
- a network of horizontal and vertical lines superimposed over a map, building plan, etc, for locating points
- a grating consisting of parallel bars
- the grid the national network of transmission lines, pipes, etc, by which electricity, gas, or water is distributed
- NZ short for national grid
- Also called: control grid electronics
- an electrode situated between the cathode and anode of a valve usually consisting of a cylindrical mesh of wires, that controls the flow of electrons between cathode and anodeSee also screen grid, suppressor grid
- (as modifier)the grid bias
- See starting grid
- a plate in an accumulator that carries the active substance
- any interconnecting system of linksthe bus service formed a grid across the country
- Northern English dialect word for face
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Word Origin
C19: back formation from gridiron
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 grid
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper