static electricity

American  

noun

Electricity.

1. a stationary electric charge built up on an insulating material.

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static electricity Scientific  

1. Electric charge that has accumulated on an object. Static electricity is often created when two objects that are not good electrical conductors are rubbed together, and electrons from one of the objects rub off onto the other. This happens, for example, when combing one's hair or taking off a sweater. Sudden releases of built-up static electricity can take the form of an electric arc.

2. See Note at electric charge

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static electricity Cultural  

1. An electrical charge that accumulates on an object when it is rubbed against another object — for example, the spark that jumps from someone's hand to a doorknob after the person has walked across a rug.

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Etymology

Origin of static electricity

First recorded in 1875–80