electric

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See also:elèctric

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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First appears c. 1646 in a publication byThomas Browne,fromNew Latinēlectricus(“electrical; of amber”),fromēlectrum(“amber”)+‎-icus(“adjectival suffix”),fromAncient Greekἤλεκτρον(ḗlektron,“amber”),related toἠλέκτωρ(ēléktōr,“shining sun”),of unknown origin; see there for further information. The Latin term was apparently used first with the sense “electrical” in 1600 by the English physician and scientistWilliam Gilbertin his workDe Magnete.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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electric(notcomparable)

  1. Of, relating to, produced by, operated with, or utilisingelectricity;electrical.
    • 2006,Edwin Black,chapter 1, inInternal Combustion‎[1]:
      Butelectricvehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic corruption that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts.
    • 2013July 20, “Out of the gloom”,inThe Economist,volume408,number8845:
      [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival ofelectriclight to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.
    • 2022December 14, Ben Jones, “Switzerland: a template for Northern Powerhouse Rail?”, inRAIL,number972,page28:
      While Britain continues to argue about how to deliver affordable electrification and decarbonisation, Swiss railways have been 100%electricsince the 1960s.
  2. Of or relating to anelectronicversion of amusical instrumentthat has anacousticequivalent.
  3. Beingemotionallythrilling;electrifying.
    • 1831,L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVI, inRomance and Reality.[…],volume III, London:Henry ColburnandRichard Bentley,[…],→OCLC,page278:
      A glance from Beatrice—for nothing is soelectricas the kindness of sympathy—stopped the tide of bewailings that were gushing forth. "Poor child!" muttered the housekeeper; "but it's no good telling her."
    • a.1857,Elizabeth Barrett Browning,“A Vision of Poets”, inPoems,volume I, New York: C. S. Francis & Co., published1857,pages195–196:
      And bold /ElectricPindar, quick as fear, / With race-dust on his cheeks, and clear / Slant startled eyes that seemed to hear // The chariot rounding the last goal, / to hurtle past it in his soul.
    • 1867,Walt Whitman,Leaves of Grass‎[2],page98:
      I SING the Bodyelectric;The armies of those I love engirth me, and I engirth them; They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them, And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the Soul.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

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electric(pluralelectrics)

  1. (informal,usually with definite article)Electricity;the electricity supply.
    We had to sit in the dark because theelectricwas cut off.
  2. (informal)An electric powered version of something that was originally or is more commonly not electric.
    1. (rare,countable)Anelectric car.
      • 2004,Dennis Barton,Red Star 4: Victory‎[3]:
        There were electric vehicles around, but four-wheel driveelectricswere pretty damned rare, and the snow was deep enough to stop anything that didn't have a minimum of four big wheels spinning at all times.
    2. Anelectric toothbrush.
      • 2007,Working Mother,volume31,number 1, page71:
        The beautiful VIOlight bathroom unit takes up very little space (it's about the size of a cup), yet it holds up to 4 toothbrushes - evenelectrics!
    3. An electrictypewriter.
      • 1983,Stephen King,Word Processor of the Gods:
        Richard's old Olivettielectrichad been put aside for the time being on top of one of the filing cabinets. “It serves the purpose,” Richard said. He nodded at the word processor.
  3. (archaic)A substance or object which can be electrified; an insulator or non-conductor, like amber or glass.
  4. (fencing)Fencingwith the use of abody wire,box,and related equipment to detect when a weapon has touched an opponent.
    Antonym:steam

Translations

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References

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  1. ^“electric”,inOED OnlinePaid subscription required⁠,Oxford, Oxfordshire:Oxford University Press,launched 2000.

Occitan

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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electricm(feminine singularelectrica,masculine pluralelectrics,feminine pluralelectricas)

  1. electric
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Romanian

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Etymology

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BorrowedfromFrenchélectrique.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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electricmorn(feminine singularelectrică,masculine pluralelectrici,feminine and neuter pluralelectrice)

  1. electric

Declension

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Declension ofelectric
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite electric electrică electrici electrice
definite electricul electrica electricii electricele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite electric electrice electrici electrice
definite electricului electricei electricelor electricilor
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References

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