open circuit

American  

noun

Electricity.

1. a discontinuous circuit through which no current can flow.

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open circuit British  

noun

1. an incomplete electrical circuit in which no current flows Compare closed circuit

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open circuit Scientific  

/ ō′pən /

1. An electric circuit in which the normal path of current has been interrupted, either by the disconnection of one part of its conducting pathway from another, or by the intervention of an electric component, such as a transistor.

2. Compare closed circuit

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Other Word Forms

• open-circuit adjective

Etymology

Origin of open circuit

First recorded in 1820–30

Compare meaning

How does open-circuit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• open circuit vs. closed circuit

Example Sentences

Without the open circuit of communication, these services are often unexplored, and possible relief is not made available.

From US News

MPP, maximum power point; OC, open circuit; SC, short circuit. c, The solar spectrum is broadband, evenly dispersed across visible and infrared components.

From Nature

Thus, the incandescent filament spinning in an unexhausted globe, the well-known Crookes experiment on open circuit, and the many others suggested, will not fail to interest the reader.

From Project Gutenberg

Your body’s open circuits are a different matter.

From Washington Post

If kept in continuous service for any length of time the cell soon polarizes or “runs down,” but will recuperate after remaining on open circuit for some little time.

From Project Gutenberg