Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An apparatus for generating static electricity, consisting of a hard rubber disk that is given a negative charge by friction and a metal plate that is given a net positive charge by induction when in contact with the disk.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Pl. electrophori (-rī). An instrument for obtaining statical electricity by means of induction.
  • noun [capitalized] The typical genus of Electrophoridæ. There is but one species, the electric eel, E. electricus. Gill, 1864. See cut under eel.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Physics) An instrument for exciting electricity, and repeating the charge indefinitely by induction, consisting of a flat cake of resin, shellac, or ebonite, upon which is placed a plate of metal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun dated, physics Any early apparatus, consisting of a rubber disk and a metal plate, for generating static electricity

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a simple electrostatic generator that generates repeated charges of static electricity
  • noun type genus of the family Electrophoridae; electric eels

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin : electro– + Greek -phoros, -phorous.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word electrophorus.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • In labs that the old movies offer us

    The science is mad and preposterous:

    Alembics that bubble

    As foretastes of trouble

    And ominous electrophorous

    March 29, 2017