gilbert

[ gil-bert ]

nounElectricity.
  1. the centimeter-gram-second unit of magnetomotive force, equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns. Abbreviation: Gi

Origin of gilbert

1
First recorded in 1890–95; named after William Gilbert

Other definitions for Gilbert (2 of 2)

Gilbert
[ gil-bert ]

noun
  1. Cass, 1859–1934, U.S. architect noted for grand Beaux-Arts public buildings, including the U.S. Supreme Court Building, and for influential skyscraper designs.

  2. Hen·ry Frank·lin Bel·knap [hen-ree frangk-lin bel-nap], /ˈhɛn ri ˈfræŋk lɪn ˈbɛl næp/, 1868–1928, U.S. composer noted as a collector and preservationist of American folk music, especially African American songs.

  1. Sir Humphrey, 1537?–83, English soldier, navigator, and colonizer in America: half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh.

  2. John John Cecil Pringle, 1897?–1936, U.S. actor: a major star of silent films, known as “the Great Lover.”

  3. Walter, born 1932, U.S. biochemist and molecular biologist: shared Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1980.

  4. William, 1544?–1603, English physician and physicist: pioneer experimenter in magnetism and electricity.

  5. Sir Wil·liam Schwenck [sur wil-yuhm shwengk], /ˌsɜr ˈwɪl yəm ˈʃwɛŋk/, "W. S.", 1836–1911, English dramatist, librettist, and poet: collaborator with Sir Arthur Sullivan.

  6. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning “pledge” and “bright.”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for gilbert (1 of 2)

gilbert

/ (ˈɡɪlbət) /


noun
  1. a unit of magnetomotive force; the magnetomotive force resulting from the passage of 4π abamperes through one turn of a coil. 1 gilbert is equivalent to 10/4 π = 0.795 775 ampere-turn: Symbols: Gb, Gi

Origin of gilbert

1
C19: named after William Gilbert (1540–1603), English physician and physicist

British Dictionary definitions for Gilbert (2 of 2)

Gilbert

/ (ˈɡɪlbət) /


noun
  1. Grove Karl. 1843–1918, US geologist who pioneered the study of river development and valley erosion

  2. Sir Humphrey. ?1539–83, English navigator: founded the colony at St John's, Newfoundland (1583)

  1. William. 1540–1603, English physician and physicist, noted for his study of terrestrial magnetism in De Magnete (1600)

  2. Sir W (illiam) S (chwenck). 1836–1911, English dramatist, humorist, and librettist. He collaborated (1871–96) with Arthur Sullivan on the famous series of comic operettas, including The Pirates of Penzance (1879), Iolanthe (1882), and The Mikado (1885)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Gilbert (1 of 2)

Gilbert

[ gĭlbərt ]


  1. American biologist who, building upon the work of Frederick Sanger, formulated a method for determining the sequence of bases in DNA that made it possible to manufacture genetic materials in the laboratory. For this work he shared with Sanger and American biologist Paul Berg the 1980 Nobel Prize for chemistry.

Scientific definitions for Gilbert (2 of 2)

Gilbert

  1. English court physician and physicist whose book De Magnete (1600) was the first comprehensive scientific work published in England. Gilbert demonstrated that the Earth itself is a magnet, with lines of force running between the North and South Poles. He theorized that magnetism and electricity were two types of a single force and was the first to use the words electricity and magnetic pole.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.