Wimshurst machine

[ wimz-hurst ]

/ ˈwɪmz hɜrst /

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noun Electricity.

a device for the production of electric charge by electrostatic induction, consisting of two oppositely rotating glass or mica disks carrying metal strips upon which charges are induced and subsequently removed by contact with metallic combs.

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Also called Wimshurst generator.

Origin of Wimshurst machine

Named after J. Wimshurst (died 1903), English engineer

Words nearby Wimshurst machine

wimmin, wimp, wimple, wimp out, wimpy, Wimshurst machine, win, win by a nose, wince, winced, wincey

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Wimshurst machine in a sentence

The billionaire philanthropist tastes the product of a machine that processes human sewage into drinking water and electricity.
Bill Gates Drinks Sewer Water|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“If BMW is ‘the ultimate driving machine,’ your Anthem is the ultimate differentiator,” writes Hogshead.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?|Lizzie Crocker|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The resulting Wool Runners were comfortable, eco-friendly, machine-washable, and super cute—and sold out almost immediately.
The Coolest Fashion Innovations of 2014|Raquel Laneri|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Even his signature instrument, Auto-Tune, has become as accepted an ingredient in hip-hop as the drum machine.
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists|Luke Hopping|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The controlling leaders being out of gear the machine did not run smoothly: there was nothing but friction and tension.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
A little black girl sat on the floor, and with her hands worked the treadle of the machine.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The sewing-machine made a resounding clatter in the room; it was of a ponderous, by-gone make.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The machine penetrated everywhere, thrusting aside with its gigantic arm the feeble efforts of handicraft.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
"I have a letter somewhere," looking in the machine drawer and finding the letter in the bottom of the workbasket.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for Wimshurst machine

Wimshurst machine

/ (ˈwɪmzhɜːst) /

noun

a type of electrostatic generator with two parallel insulating discs revolving in different directions, each being in contact with a thin metal wiper that produces a charge on the disc: usually used for demonstration purposes

Word Origin for Wimshurst machine

C19: named after J. Wimshurst (1832–1903), English engineer

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

Scientific definitions for Wimshurst machine

Wimshurst machine

[ wĭmz′hûrst′ ]

An electrostatic generator used to generate static electricity at high voltages, consisting of mica or glass disks covered with metal sectors of plates that are rotated in opposite directions. The rotational energy is used to build up static charge across the plates, while each plate periodically makes electrical contact with another as it rotates, building up a voltage by induction. The Wimshurst machine is named after its inventor, British engineer James Wimshurst (1832-1903).