electrode

[ih-lek-trohd]

noun

Electricity.

1. a conductor, not necessarily metallic, through which a current enters or leaves a nonmetallic medium, as an electrolytic cell, arc generator, vacuum tube, or gaseous discharge tube.

electrode

/ ɪˈlɛktrəʊd /

noun

1. a conductor through which an electric current enters or leaves an electrolyte, an electric arc, or an electronic valve or tube

2. an element in a semiconducting device that emits, collects, or controls the movement of electrons or holes

electrode

1. A conductor through which an electric current enters or leaves a substance (or a vacuum) whose electrical characteristics are being measured, used, or manipulated. Electrodes can be used to detect electrical activity such as brain waves. Terminal points in electrical components such as transistors, diodes, and batteries are electrodes.

Other Word Forms

• interelectrode noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of electrode¹

First recorded in 1825–35; electr- + -ode ²

Example Sentences

The new device — the result of a collaboration between pediatricians and engineers — is a small wireless set of electrodes worn on the mother’s breast that measures the amount of milk expressed during a feeding.

From Los Angeles Times

An impossible composer to pin down, Machover has written a traditional grand opera such as “Resurrection,” based on Tolstoy’s novel, and “Brain Opera,” which is just that, using electrodes on your noggin.

From Los Angeles Times

All lithium-ion batteries work roughly the same way: Cells are clustered inside the battery casing, and lithium ions move between the electrodes in each cell, generating an electric current.

From Los Angeles Times

The researchers inserted a bundle of fine micro wires, capable of recording the action potential of a single neuron, through the hollow inner canal of depth electrodes implanted as part of the epilepsy procedure.

From Salon

The problem is that such technology works by forming bubbles of oxygen on the surface of electrodes deep within the molten regolith itself.

From BBC