electrode
- 01 C1 Advanced
a part of an electrical circuit that lets current flow into or out of a liquid, gas, or another material.
the terminal through which electric current passes between metallic and nonmetallic parts of a circuit, such as an electrolyte or a vacuum.
Simple“The scientist placed a copper electrode into the liquid to start the experiment.”
In context“During the process of electrolysis, ions are attracted to the oppositely charged electrode, resulting in a chemical change at the surface.”
UsageOften used in pairs, specifically referred to as an anode or a cathode depending on the direction of current flow.
- 02 C1 Advanced
a small pad placed on the skin to measure electrical signals from the heart or brain.
a specialized sensor used to detect and record electrical activity within the body for diagnostic purposes.
Simple“The nurse attached several electrodes to the patient's chest to check his heart rhythm.”
In context“The technician carefully positioned the electrodes on the scalp to ensure a clear reading of the patient's brainwave patterns during the sleep study.”
Teacher's tipIn a medical context, students may hear these referred to as 'leads', though 'electrode' is the technically accurate term for the physical contact point.
“Through various LCAs examining global warming potential, critical material use and toxicity in detail, they found that electrodes were almost single-handedly driving the impacts for glucose monitoring patches.”
“The sodium-based material pulled sodium from the water, while a graphite electrode removed chloride.”
Coined by British scientist Michael Faraday in 1833, first used in his Diary (laboratory notebook) from the Ancient Greek words ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”) (from which the word electricity is derived) and ὁδός (hodós, “way”). By surface analysis, electro- + -ode
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.