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GRID

 - 6 dictionary results

grid

  [grid]
Use GRID in a Sentence
–noun
1. a grating of crossed bars; gridiron.
2. Electricity.
a. a metallic framework employed in a storage cell or battery for conducting the electric current and supporting the active material.
b. a system of electrical distribution serving a large area, esp. by means of high-tension lines.
3. Electronics. an electrode in a vacuum tube, usually consisting of parallel wires, a coil of wire, or a screen, for controlling the flow of electrons between the other electrodes.
4. Surveying. a basic system of reference lines for a region, consisting of straight lines intersecting at right angles.
5. a network of horizontal and perpendicular lines, uniformly spaced, for locating points on a map, chart, or aerial photograph by means of a system of coordinates.
6. Architecture. a rectangular system of coordinates used in locating the principal elements of a plan.
7. grillage.
8. Football. gridiron (def. 1).
Origin:
1830–40; short for gridiron

gril⋅lage

  [gril-ij]
–noun
a framework of crossing beams used for spreading heavy loads over large areas.
Also called grid.

Origin:
1770–80; < F; see grille, -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To GRID
grid   (grĭd)   
n.  

    1. A framework of crisscrossed or parallel bars; a grating or mesh.

    2. A cooking surface of parallel metal bars; a gridiron.

    3. An interconnected system for the distribution of electricity or electromagnetic signals over a wide area, especially a network of high-tension cables and power stations.

    4. A corrugated or perforated conducting plate in a storage battery.

    5. A network or coil of fine wires located between the plate and the filament in an electron tube.

  2. Something resembling a framework of crisscrossed parallel bars, as in rigidity or organization: The city's streets form a grid.

  3. A pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines forming squares on a map, a chart, an aerial photograph, or an optical device, used as a reference for locating points.

  4. Electricity

    1. An interconnected system for the distribution of electricity or electromagnetic signals over a wide area, especially a network of high-tension cables and power stations.

    2. A corrugated or perforated conducting plate in a storage battery.

    3. A network or coil of fine wires located between the plate and the filament in an electron tube.

  5. Football The gridiron.

  6. Sports The starting positions of cars on a racecourse.

  7. Printing A device in a photocomposition machine on which the characters used in composition are etched.


[Short for gridiron.]
grid'ded adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

grid 
1839, shortening of gridiron. City planning sense is from 1954 (hence gridlock 1980). Meaning "network of transmission lines" first recorded 1926.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
GRID
Global Resource Information Database
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

grid

in an electron tube, an electrode that has openings for controlling the flow of electrons or ions through it. Unmodified, the term applies to a control grid that is ordinarily placed between the cathode and the anode (or plate) of an electron tube to vary the flow of current. A screen grid-usually maintained at a fixed potential-is placed between a control grid and an anode to reduce the electrostatic influence of the anode on the control grid. A suppressor grid is interposed between two positive electrodes-usually the screen grid and the anode-to reduce the flow of secondary electrons from one to the other

Learn more about grid with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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