Wiktionary

cathode

English

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

From Ancient Greek κατα- (kata-, “down”) and ὁδός (hodós, “journey, way”), forming the New Greek compound κάθοδος (káthodos, “way down, descent”). Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit
 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

cathode (plural cathodes)

  1. (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).
  2. (by extension) The electrode at which chemical reduction of cations takes place, usually resulting in the deposition of metal onto the electrode.
  3. (electronics) The electrode from which electrons are emitted into a vacuum tube or gas-filled tube.
  4. (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
edit

Translations

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

French

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

cathode f (plural cathodes)

  1. cathode

Further reading

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=cathode&oldid=80452580"