Electric

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈlÉ›ktɹɪk/

Alternative forms

• electrick chiefly archaic

Origin

From New Latin ēlectricus ("of amber"), from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ēlektron, "amber"), related to ἠλέκτωρ (ēlektor, "shining sun").

Full definition of electric

Adjective

1. Of, relating to, produced by, operated with, or utilising electricity; electrical.
• 2006, Edwin Black, Internal Combustion Chapter 1, But electric vehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic corruption that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts.
• 2013-07-20, Out of the gloom, solar plant schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.
2. Of or relating to an electronic version of a musical instrument that has an acoustic equivalent.
3. Being emotionally thrilling; electrifying.
• Elizabeth Barrett BrowningElectric Pindar.
4. Drawing electricity from an external source; not battery-operated; corded.
   Is that a rechargeable vacuum? No, it's electric.

Derived terms

Noun

1. (informal) Electricity.
2. (rare) An electric car.
3. (archaic) A substance or object which can be electrified; an insulator or non-conductor, like amber or glass.