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cathode
(redirected from cathodes)

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.06 sec.
cath·ode  (kthd)
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·thodic (k-thdk) adj.
ca·thodi·cal·ly adv.

cathode [ˈkæθəʊd]
n
1. (Physics / General Physics) the negative electrode in an electrolytic cell; the electrode by which electrons enter a device from an external circuit
2. (Physics / General Physics) the negatively charged electron source in an electronic valve
3. (Physics / General Physics) the positive terminal of a primary cell Compare anode
[from Greek kathodos a descent, from kata- down + hodos way]
cathodal  [kæˈθəʊdəl], cathodic [kæˈθɒdɪk -ˈθəʊ-], cathodical adj

cathode  (kthd)
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.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.cathode - a negatively charged electrode that is the source of electrons entering an electrical device
cold cathode - a cathode that is a source of electrons without being heated
electrode - a conductor used to make electrical contact with some part of a circuit
electrolytic cell - a cell containing an electrolyte in which an applied voltage causes a reaction to occur that would not occur otherwise (such as the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen)
photocathode - a cathode that emits electrons when illuminated
electron tube, thermionic tube, thermionic vacuum tube, thermionic valve, vacuum tube, tube - electronic device consisting of a system of electrodes arranged in an evacuated glass or metal envelope
anode - a positively charged electrode by which electrons leave an electrical device
2.cathode - the positively charged terminal of a voltaic cell or storage battery that supplies current
storage battery, accumulator - a voltaic battery that stores electric charge
depot, terminal, terminus - station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
galvanic cell, primary cell, voltaic cell - an electric cell that generates an electromotive force by an irreversible conversion of chemical to electrical energy; cannot be recharged
anode - the negatively charged terminal of a voltaic cell or storage battery that supplies current
Translations
cathode [ˈkæθəʊd]
A. Ncátodo m
B. CPD cathode ray Nrayo m catódico
cathode ray tube Ntubo m de rayos catódicos
cathode [ˈkæθəʊd] ncathode f
cathode-ray tube [ˈkæθəʊdreɪ] ntube m cathodique
cathode
nKat(h)ode f

cathode:
cathode ray
nKat(h)odenstrahl m
cathode-ray tube
nKat(h)odenstrahlröhre f
cathode [ˈkæθəʊd] n (Elec) → catodo
cathode [ˈkæθəʊd] n (Elec) → catodo


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The purchase adds 120,000 tons of copper cathodes to the company's annual production.
Whether powering a gadget or a car, nickel ions in the cathodes of such batteries each capture one electron arriving from the anode.
The durability of air cathodes in competing fuel cells can be compromised by airborne pollutants and/or internal cell complications such as methanol crossover.
 
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