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current

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cur⋅rent

  [kur-uhnt, kuhr-]
Use current in a Sentence
–adjective
1. passing in time; belonging to the time actually passing: the current month.
2. prevalent; customary: the current practice.
3. popular; in vogue: current fashions.
4. new; present; most recent: the current issue of a publication.
5. publicly reported or known: a rumor that is current.
6. passing from one to another; circulating, as a coin.
7. Archaic. running; flowing.
8. Obsolete. genuine; authentic.
–noun
9. a flowing; flow, as of a river.
10. something that flows, as a stream.
11. a large portion of air, large body of water, etc., moving in a certain direction.
12. the speed at which such flow moves; velocity of flow.
13. Electricity. electric current.
14. a course, as of time or events; the main course; the general tendency.
Origin:
1250–1300; < L current- (s. of currēns) running (prp. of currere); r. ME curraunt < AF < L as above; see -ent

Related forms:
cur⋅rent⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
2. common, widespread, popular, rife. Current, present, prevailing, prevalent refer to something generally or commonly in use. That which is current is in general circulation or a matter of common knowledge or acceptance: current usage in English. Present refers to that which is in use now; it always has the sense of time: present customs. That which is prevailing is that which has superseded others: prevailing fashion. That which is prevalent exists or is spread widely: a prevalent idea. 3. stylish, fashionable, modish. 10. See stream.

Antonyms:
2. obsolete. 3. old-fashioned.
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electric current

 
–noun Electricity.
the time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.
Also called current, electricity.

Origin:
1830–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To current
cur·rent   (kûr'ənt, kŭr'-)   
adj.  

    1. Belonging to the present time: current events; current leaders.

    2. Being in progress now: current negotiations.

  2. Passing from one to another; circulating: current bills and coins.

  3. Prevalent, especially at the present time: current fashions. See Synonyms at prevailing.

  4. Running; flowing.

n.  

  1. A steady, smooth onward movement: a current of air from a fan; a current of spoken words. See Synonyms at flow.

  2. The part of a body of liquid or gas that has a continuous onward movement: rowed out into the river's swift current.

  3. A general tendency, movement, or course. See Synonyms at tendency.

  4. Symbol i, I Electricity

    1. A flow of electric charge.

    2. The amount of electric charge flowing past a specified circuit point per unit time.


[Middle English curraunt, from Old French corant, present participle of courre, to run, from Latin currere; see kers- in Indo-European roots.]
cur'rent·ly adv., cur'rent·ness n.
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

current  (adj.)
c.1300, from O.Fr. corant "running," prp. of corre "to run," from L. currere "to run," from PIE *kers- "to run" (cf. Gk. -khouros "running," Lith. karsiu "go quickly," O.N. horskr "swift," O.Ir., M.Welsh carr "cart, wagon," Bret. karr "chariot," Welsh carrog "torrent"). The noun is c.1380, from M.Fr. corant, from O.Fr. corant. Applied 1747 to the flow of electrical force. Currently "at the present time" is 1580.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cur·rent
Pronunciation: 'k&r-&nt, 'k&-r&nt
Function: noun
1 : the part of a fluid body (as air or water) movingcontinuously in a certain direction
2 : a flow of electric charge; also : the rate of such flow
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

current cur·rent (kûr'ənt, kŭr'-)
n.

  1. A stream or flow of a liquid or gas.


  2. Symbol I A flow of electric charge.


  3. Symbol I, i The amount of electric charge flowing past a specified circuit point per unit time.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
current   (kûr'ənt)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A flowing movement in a liquid, gas, plasma, or other form of matter, especially one that follows a recognizable course.

  2. A flow of positive electric charge. The strength of current flow in any medium is related to voltage differences in that medium, as well as the electrical properties of the medium, and is measured in amperes. Since electrons are stipulated to have a negative charge, current in an electrical circuit actually flows in the opposite direction of the movement of electrons. See also electromagnetism, Ohm's law. See Note at electric charge.


Our Living Language  : Electric current is the phenomenon most often experienced in the form of electricity. Any time an object with a net electric charge is in motion, such as an electron in a wire or a positively charged ion jetting into the atmosphere from a solar flare, there is an electric current; the total current moving through some cross-sectional area in a given direction is simply the amount of positive charge moving through that cross-section. Current is sometimes confused with electric potential or voltage, but a voltage difference between two points (such as the two terminals of a battery) means only that current can potentially flow between them; how much does in fact flow depends on the resistance of the material between the two points. Electrical signals transmitted through a wire generally propagate at nearly the speed of light, but the current in the wire actually moves very slowly: pushing electrons into one end of the wire is rather like pushing a marble into one end of a tube filled with marbles—a marble (or electron) gets pushed out the other end almost instantly, even though the marbles (or electrons) inside move only incrementally.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

current electronics
The quantity of charge per unit time, measured in Amperes (Amps, A). By historical convention, the sign of current is positive for currents flowing from positive to negative potential, but experience indicates that electrons are negatively charged and flow in the opposite direction.
(1995-10-05)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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