electrode

noun

elec·​trode i-ˈlek-ˌtrōd How to pronounce electrode (audio)
1
: a conductor used to establish electrical contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit
2
: an element in a semiconductor device (such as a transistor) that emits or collects electrons or holes or controls their movements

Examples of electrode in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The electrodes relayed temperature information to his upper arm, stimulating pathways once linked to his hand. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 Each wireless Neuralink device contains a chip and electrode arrays of more than 1,000 superthin, flexible conductors that a surgical robot threads into the cerebral cortex. Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2024 Roughly the size of a quarter, Neuralink’s N1 brain-computer interface (BCI) is designed to both record and transmit neural activity with the help of over 1,000 electrodes distributed across dozens of different filiments, each thinner than a human hair. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024 Pacemaker electrodes are implanted directly in the heart. Virginia Singla, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023 Now electronics are smaller, electrodes are more advanced, and the Internet of Things has fueled rapid expansion of networking technologies. IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2023 The electrodes are solid materials in a battery that can store ions, and all batteries have both a positive and a negative electrode. Wesley Chang, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 These are made up of tiny single crystals, such as quartz or some ceramics, with two electrodes attached. IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2024 Vision has been very complicated in terms of putting electrodes into the brain and trying to restore a meaningful image. Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'electrode.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of electrode was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near electrode

Cite this Entry

“Electrode.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electrode. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

electrode

noun
elec·​trode i-ˈlek-ˌtrōd How to pronounce electrode (audio)
: a conductor (as a metal or carbon) used to make electrical contact with a part of an electrical circuit that is not metallic

Medical Definition

electrode

noun
elec·​trode i-ˈlek-ˌtrōd How to pronounce electrode (audio)
: a conductor used to establish electrical contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit

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