bat·te·rie
Audio Help [bat-uh-ree; Fr. batuh-ree] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [bat-uh-ree; Fr. batuh-ree] Pronunciation Key –noun, plural bat·te·ries
Audio Help [bat-uh-reez; Fr. batuh-ree] Pronunciation Key. Ballet.
Audio Help [bat-uh-reez; Fr. batuh-ree] Pronunciation Key. Ballet. | 1. | a beating together of the calves or feet during a leap. |
| 2. | (in tap dancing) a rapid succession of taps, often compared to drumming or to machine-gun fire. |
| 3. | battery (def. 11). |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Batteries
To learn more about Batteries visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
bat·ter·y
Audio Help [bat-uh-ree] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [bat-uh-ree] Pronunciation Key –noun, plural -ter·ies.
| 1. | Electricity.
|
| 2. | any large group or series of related things: a battery of questions. |
| 3. | Military.
|
| 4. | a group or series of similar articles, machines, parts, etc. |
| 5. | Baseball. the pitcher and catcher considered as a unit. |
| 6. | Navy.
|
| 7. | Psychology. a series of tests yielding a single total score, used for measuring aptitude, intelligence, personality, etc. |
| 8. | the act of beating or battering. |
| 9. | Law. an unlawful attack upon another person by beating or wounding, or by touching in an offensive manner. |
| 10. | an instrument used in battering. |
| 11. | Also, batterie. Music. the instruments comprising the percussion section of an orchestra. |
| 12. | any imposing group of persons or things acting or directed in unison: a battery of experts. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| bat·ter·y
Audio Help (bāt'ə-rē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. bat·ter·ies
[Middle English batri, forged metal ware, from Old French baterie, a beating, from batre, to batter; see batter1.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
battery
Audio Help (bāt'ə-rē) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) A device containing an electric cell or a series of electric cells storing energy that can be converted into electrical power (usually in the form of direct current). Common household batteries, such as those used in a flashlight, are usually made of dry cells (the chemicals producing the current are made into a paste). In other batteries, such as car batteries, these chemicals are in liquid form. Our Living Language : A battery stores chemical energy, which it converts to electrical energy. A typical battery, such as a car battery, is composed of an arrangement of galvanic cells. Each cell contains two metal electrodes, separate from each other, immersed within an electrolyte containing both positive and negative ions. A chemical reaction between the electrodes and the electrolyte, similar to that found in electroplating, takes place, and the metals dissolve in the electrolyte, leaving electrons behind on the electrodes. However, the metals dissolve at different rates, so a greater number of electrons accumulate at one electrode (creating the negative electrode) than at the other electrode (which becomes the positive electrode). This gives rise to an electric potential between the electrodes, which are typically linked together in series and parallel to one another in order to provide the desired voltage at the battery terminals (12 volts, for example, for a car battery). The buildup of charge on the electrodes prevents the metals from dissolving further, but if the battery is hooked up to an electric circuit through which current may flow, electrons are drawn out of the negative electrodes and into the positive ones, reducing their charge and allowing further chemical reactions. |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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