solenoid
Americannoun
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Electricity. an electric conductor wound as a helix with small pitch, or as two or more coaxial helices, so that current through the conductor establishes a magnetic field within the conductor.
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Also called solenoid switch. a switch controlled by such an arrangement, in which a metal rod moves when the current is turned on: used in automotive starting systems.
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Meteorology. a space formed by the intersection of isobaric and isosteric surfaces.
noun
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a coil of wire, usually cylindrical, in which a magnetic field is set up by passing a current through it
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a coil of wire, partially surrounding an iron core, that is made to move inside the coil by the magnetic field set up by a current: used to convert electrical to mechanical energy, as in the operation of a switch
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such a device used as a relay, as in a motor vehicle for connecting the battery directly to the starter motor when activated by the ignition switch
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of solenoid
1825–35; < French solénoïde < Greek sōlḗn pipe, channel + French -oïde -oid
Vocabulary lists containing solenoid
Electrical Engineering
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Engineering - High School
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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.
CMS uses a solenoid, a ring-shaped magnet, to bend the path of charged particles such as muons.
From Scientific American • Apr. 27, 2022
The central solenoid is just one of 12 large U.S. contributions to ITER, each of which is built by American companies, with funds allocated by Congress going toward U.S. jobs.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2021
Washing machines, dishwashers and ice makers are especially prone to water hammer, because they have solenoid switches that instantly turn off the water instead of the gradual closing that happens with a faucet.
From Washington Post • Sep. 18, 2020
Rewards were delivered using a solenoid valve, and a blue LED was placed 2 cm above the lick-tube.
From Nature • Mar. 28, 2017
He charms the druggist’s wife into giving him a broken earphone; he salvages a solenoid from a discarded doorbell, solders it to a resistor, and makes a loudspeaker.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
