electric

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of, relating to, produced by, operated with, or utilising electricity; electrical.
  2. Of or relating to an electronic version of a musical instrument that has an acoustic equivalent.
  3. Emotionally thrilling; electrifying.
noun
  1. Electricity; the electricity supply.
  2. An electric powered version of something that was originally or is more commonly not electric.
  3. An electric car, locomotive, train etc.
  4. An electric toothbrush.
  5. An electric typewriter.
  6. A substance or object which can be electrified; an insulator or non-conductor, like amber or glass.
  7. Fencing with the use of a body wire, box, and related equipment to detect when a weapon has touched an opponent.

Pronunciation

/ɪˈlɛktɹɪk/ /əˈlɛktɹɪk/ /iˈlɛktɹɪk/ En-us-electric.ogg

Word forms

electric electrick electrics

Etymology

First attested in c. 1646 in a publication by Thomas Browne. From New Latin ēlectricus (“electrical; of amber”), from ēlectr(um) (“amber”) + -icus (“adjectival suffix”); from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”); related to ἠλέκτωρ (ēléktōr, “shining sun”), of unknown origin (see which for more). The Latin term was apparently used first with the sense electrical in 1600 by the English physician and scientist William Gilbert in his work De Magnete.

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