negative electricity

American  

noun

1. the electricity present in a body or substance that has an excess of electrons, as the electricity developed on a resin when rubbed with flannel.

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Etymology

Origin of negative electricity

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

negative electricity

One belt carried negative electricity, the other positive.

From Time Magazine Archive

The earth is, of course, a great sphere, and carries an enormous charge of negative electricity.

From Time Magazine Archive

Since 1917 scientists have known that the earth's surface is charged with negative electricity, but no one knew for sure what keeps it charged.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then parallel steel plates charged with negative electricity snatch and hold the electrified particles, removing from them 95% of the airborne dirt.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some oxides are positive, others negative, said Berzelius; but acids are characterized by negative electricity, therefore the presence of oxygen in a compound does not always confer on that compound acid properties.

From Heroes of Science Chemists by M. M. Pattison (Matthew Moncrieff Pattison) Muir