electric
n.n. using or producing electricity to work. You use this to describe things like cars, guitars, or heaters that need power from a battery or a wall socket.
n. relating to, produced by, or operated by electricity. Often used to describe devices that have been converted from mechanical or acoustic versions to powered ones.
We are thinking about buying an electric car.
The city replaced its old diesel buses with a new fleet of quiet electric vehicles.
The transition to electric heating systems is a key component of the government's strategy to reduce carbon emissions in residential areas.
First attested in c. 1646 in a publication by Thomas Browne. From New Latin ēlectricus (“electrical; of amber”), from ēlectr(um) (“amber”) + -icus (“adjectival suffix”); from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”); related to ἠλέκτωρ (ēléktōr, “shining sun”), of unknown origin (see which for more). The Latin term was apparently used first with the sense electrical in 1600 by the English physician and scientist William Gilbert in his work De Magnete.
Typically placed before the noun it modifies. While 'electric' and 'electrical' are related, 'electric' usually refers to things that carry or are powered by electricity directly.
an electrical guitaran electric guitarUse 'electric' for specific tools or machines that run on electricity; 'electrical' is for general systems or fields of study.