definitions

photovoltaic effect

noun Physics.

the phenomenon in which the incidence of light or other electromagnetic radiation upon the junction of two dissimilar materials, as a metal and a semiconductor, induces the generation of an electromotive force.

RELATED CONTENT

Affect vs. Effect: Use The Correct Word Every TimeWhen do you use AFFECT vs EFFECT? Use this easy rule to always know when to use affect vs effect.
READ MORE
The Google Effect And More ‘Rules’ The Internet CreatedWho needs to stash away names and dates into our longterm memory when we have Google? And, guess what, that phenomenon has a name!
READ MORE

Nearby words

phototypeset, phototypesetting, phototypography, photovoltaic, photovoltaic cell, photovoltaic effect, photovoltaics, photozincography, photuria, php, phr.

Origin of photovoltaic effect

First recorded in 1955–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for photovoltaic effect

photovoltaic effect

noun

the effect observed when electromagnetic radiation, esp visibile light from the sun, falls on a thin film of one solid deposited on the surface of a dissimilar solid producing a difference in potential between the two materials
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