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cathode

 - 5 dictionary results

cath⋅ode

  [kath-ohd]
Use cathode in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1825–35; < Gk káthodos a way down, equiv. to kat- cat- + hodós way
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cath·ode   (kāth'ōd')   
n.   Abbr. ka

  1. A negatively charged electrode, as of an electrolytic cell, a storage battery, or an electron tube.

  2. The positively charged terminal of a primary cell or a storage battery that is supplying current.


[Greek kathodos, descent : kat-, kata-, cata- + hodos, way, path.]
ca·thod'ic (kā-thŏd'ĭk) adj., ca·thod'i·cal·ly adv.
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

cathode 
1834, from Gk. cathodos "a way down," from kata- "down" + hodos "way" (see cede). Cathode ray first attested 1880, but the phenomenon known from 1859; cathode ray tube is from 1905.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cath·ode
Pronunciation: 'kath-"Od
Function: noun
1 : the electrode of an electrochemical cell at which reduction occurs: as a : the negative terminal of an electrolytic cell b : the positive terminal of a storage battery that is delivering current
2 : theelectron-emitting electrode of an electron tube —compare ANODE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
cathode   (kāth'ōd')  Pronunciation Key 

  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. Compare anode.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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