electric

English Online Dictionary. What means electric‎? What does electric mean?

English

Alternative forms

• electrick (chiefly archaic)

Etymology

First appears c. 1646 in a publication by Thomas Browne, from New Latin ēlectricus (“electrical; of amber”), from ēlectrum (“amber”) +‎ -icus (“adjectival suffix”), from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”), related to ἠλέκτωρ (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 scientist William Gilbert in his work De Magnete.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪˈlɛktɹɪk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪˈlɛktɹɪk/, /əˈlɛktɹɪk/, /iˈlɛktɹɪk/
• Hyphenation: electr‧ic

Adjective

electric (not comparable)

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. Being emotionally thrilling; electrifying.

Synonyms

• electrical

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

electric (plural electrics)

1. (informal, usually with definite article) Electricity; the electricity supply.

2. (informal) An electric powered version of something that was originally or is more commonly not electric.
   1. (rare, countable) An electric car, locomotive, train etc.
   2. An electric toothbrush.
   3. An electric typewriter.
3. (archaic) A substance or object which can be electrified; an insulator or non-conductor, like amber or glass.
4. (fencing) Fencing with the use of a body wire, box, and related equipment to detect when a weapon has touched an opponent.

   Antonym: steam

Translations

References

• Noah Webster (1828) “electric”, in An American Dictionary of the English Language: […], volume I (A–I), New York, N.Y.: […] S. Converse; printed by Hezekiah Howe […], →OCLC.
• “electric”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• Dictionary.com definitions of electric
• de V. Heathcote, Niels H. (1967 December) “The early meaning of electricity: Some Pseudodoxia Epidemica - I”, in Annals of Science, volume 23, number 4, →DOI, →ISSN, WD Q54266797, pages 261–275

Occitan

Pronunciation

Adjective

electric m (feminine singular electrica, masculine plural electrics, feminine plural electricas)

1. electric

Related terms

• electricitat

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French électrique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eˈlek.trik/

Adjective

electric m or n (feminine singular electrică, masculine plural electrici, feminine and neuter plural electrice)

1. electric

Declension

Related terms

References

• “electric”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025