electricity

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English [edit]

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Etymology [edit]

From electric +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation [edit]

  • (UK) IPA: /ˌiːlekˈtɹɪsᵻti/, /ᵻˌlɛkˈtɹɪsᵻti/, /ˌɛlɪkˈtɹɪsᵻti/
  • (US) IPA: /əˌlɛkˈtɹɪsᵻdi/, /iˌlɛkˈtɹɪsᵻdi/
  • (file)

Noun [edit]

electricity (usually uncountable; plural electricities)

  1. A property of amber and certain other substances to attract lightweight material when rubbed, or the cause of this property; now understood to be a form of energy (occurring in positive and negative modes) which is a fundamental property of electrons and certain other subatomic particles. [from 17th c.]
    • 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, 1st edition, p. 51:
      The concretion of Ice will not endure a dry attrition without liquation; for if it be rubbed long with a cloth, it melteth. But Crystal will calefie unto electricity; that is, a power to attract strawes and light bodies, and convert the needle freely placed.
    • 1747, Benjamin Franklin, letter, 28 Jul 1747:
      Restoring the equilibrium in the bottle does not at all affect the Electricity in the man.
    • 1837, William Leithead, Electricity, p. 5:
      Attraction, then, is the first phenomenon that arrests our attention, and it is one that is constantly attendant on excitation. It is therefore considered a sure indicator of the presence of electricity in an active state, and forms the basis of all its tests.
    • 1873, James Clerk Maxwell, A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism:
      We may express all these results in a concise and consistent manner by describing an electrified body as charged with a certain quantity of electricity, which we may denote by e.
    • 2011, Jon Henley, The Guardian, 29 Mar 2011:
      How does it work, though? It's based on the observation made some 200 years ago that electricity can change the shape of flames.
  2. The study of such energy; the branch of science dealing with electrical phenomena. [from 18th c.]
  3. A feeling of excitement; a thrill. [from 18th c.]
    Opening night for the new production had an electricity unlike other openings.
  4. Electric power as used in homes etc., supplied by power stations or generators. [from 19th c.]

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