cathode
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /ˈkæθ.oʊd/
Noun

cathode (plural cathodes)

  1. (electricity) An electrode, of a cell or other electrically polarized device, through which a positive current of electricity flows outwards (and thus, electrons flow inwards). It usually, but not always, has a positive voltage.
  2. (chemistry, by extension) The electrode at which chemical reduction of cations takes place, usually resulting in the deposition of metal onto the electrode.
  3. (electronics) The electrode from which electrons are emitted into a vacuum tube or gas-filled tube.
  4. (electronics) That electrode of a semiconductor device which is connected to the n-type material of a p-n junction.
Related terms Translations
  • French: cathode
  • German: Kathode, Minuspol
  • Italian: catodo
  • Portuguese: cátodo, catodo (Brazil), catódio
  • Russian: като́д
  • Spanish: cátodo



This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.005
Offline English dictionary