cathode
Americannoun
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the electrode or terminal by which current leaves an electrolytic cell, voltaic cell, battery, etc.
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the positive terminal of a voltaic cell or battery.
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the negative terminal, electrode, or element of an electron tube or electrolytic cell.
noun
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the negative electrode in an electrolytic cell; the electrode by which electrons enter a device from an external circuit
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the negatively charged electron source in an electronic valve
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the positive terminal of a primary cell
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The negative electrode in an electrolytic cell, toward which positively charged particles are attracted. The cathode has a negative charge because it is connected to the negatively charged end of an external power supply.
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The source of electrons in an electrical device, such as a vacuum tube or diode.
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The positive electrode of a voltaic cell, such as a battery. The cathode gets its positive charge from the chemical reaction that happens inside the battery, not from an external source.
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Compare anode
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cathode
1825–35; < Greek káthodos a way down, equivalent to kat- cat- ( def. ) + hodós way
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One was a new kind of cathode material for batteries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
In a battery, electrons flow from cathode to anode, external when charging and in the opposite direction when discharging or providing power.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The team paired the new catalyst with a nickel iron anode and found that the system performed better than a leading state-of-the-art cathode, including one based on PGM materials.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
The metal is shipped as cathode plates in sealed containers, representing about 95 percent of the volume from the DRC.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
In 1920, the memorably named Philo T. Farnsworth conceived the cathode ray vacuum tube used in most all twentieth-century TV sets.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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