cathode

[kath-ohd]

noun

1. the electrode or terminal by which current leaves an electrolytic cell, voltaic cell, battery, etc.

2. the positive terminal of a voltaic cell or battery.

3. the negative terminal, electrode, or element of an electron tube or electrolytic cell.

cathode

/ kæˈθɒdɪk, -ˈθəʊ-, ˈkæθəʊd, kæˈθəʊdəl /

noun

1. the negative electrode in an electrolytic cell; the electrode by which electrons enter a device from an external circuit

2. the negatively charged electron source in an electronic valve

3. the positive terminal of a primary cell

cathode

1. The negative electrode in an electrolytic cell, toward which positively charged particles are attracted. The cathode has a negative charge because it is connected to the negatively charged end of an external power supply.

2. The source of electrons in an electrical device, such as a vacuum tube or diode.

3. The positive electrode of a voltaic cell, such as a battery. The cathode gets its positive charge from the chemical reaction that happens inside the battery, not from an external source.

4. Compare anode

Other Word Forms

• cathodal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cathode¹

1825–35; < Greek káthodos a way down, equivalent to kat- cat- ( def. ) + hodós way

Word History and Origins

Origin of cathode¹

C19: from Greek kathodos a descent, from kata- down + hodos way

Example Sentences

“Are we doing retro-futurism? Are we doing the the cathode ray tube screens? Are we doing all of that stuff that in 1979 felt super futuristic, and to us now, feels like 1979?” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

Breaking the battery’s anodes and cathodes reduces the batteries to what EPA workers call, semi-seriously, “not a battery.”

From Los Angeles Times

Lithium-ion batteries are set to become even more powerful with new materials for the cathodes.

From Science Daily

Additionally, when lithium grows in one direction, it can reach the cathode on the opposite side, causing an internal short circuit.

From Science Daily

A battery consists of two electrodes -- the anode and cathode, typically made of different materials -- as well as a separator and electrolyte, a chemical medium that allows for the flow of electrical charge.

From Science Daily