cathode
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English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Ancient Greek κατα- (kata-, “down”) and ὁδός (hodós, “journey, way”), equivalent to Ancient Greek κάθοδος (káthodos, “way down, descent”). Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year. By surface analysis, cath- (alternative form of cata-) + -ode.
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /ˈkæθ.oʊd/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
[edit]cathode (plural cathodes)
- (electricity) An electrode, of a cell or other electrically polarized device, through which a positive current of electricity flows outwards (and thus, electrons flow inwards). It can have either a negative or a positive voltage with respect to anode of the same polarized device (depending on whether the device is a load or a source, respectively).
- (by extension) The electrode at which chemical reduction of cations takes place, usually resulting in the deposition of metal onto the electrode.
- (electronics) The electrode from which electrons are emitted into a vacuum tube or gas-filled tube.
- (electronics) That electrode of a semiconductor device which is connected to the n-type material of a p-n junction.
Antonyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]electrode through which current flows outward
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
French
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Audio: (file)
Noun
[edit]cathode f (plural cathodes)
Further reading
[edit]- “cathode”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sed-
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms coined by William Whewell
- English coinages
- English terms prefixed with cata-
- English terms suffixed with -ode
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Electricity
- en:Electronics
- en:Electrochemistry
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French feminine nouns