Skip to content

capacitor

noun

  1. passive two-terminal electronic component that stores electrical energy in an electric field
L30375 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /kəˈpæ.sɪ.tə/ / /kəˈpæ.sə.tɚ/

noun

Etymology: From capacity + -or. Capacitor replaced the term condenser (coined by Alessandro Volta in 1782) to disambiguate it from steam condenser. The coiner is unknown but the change was recommended in 1926 by British Standard Glossary of Terms in Electrical Engineering.

  1. An electronic component capable of storing electrical energy in an electric field; especially one consisting of two conductors separated by a dielectric.

    By placing the 0.02μF capacitor on top of the whistle chip, the circuit oscillates at a lower frequency. […] It is possible to pick resistors and capacitors that will make the pitch higher than humans can hear.