open circuit

noun

, Electricity.

1. a discontinuous circuit through which no current can flow.

open circuit

noun

1. an incomplete electrical circuit in which no current flows Compare closed circuit

open circuit

/ ō′pən /

1. An electric circuit in which the normal path of current has been interrupted, either by the disconnection of one part of its conducting pathway from another, or by the intervention of an electric component, such as a transistor.
2. Compare closed circuit

Other Words From

• open-circuit adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of open circuit¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

They hijacked the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system to open circuit breakers in substations.

From Scientific American

Without the open circuit of communication, these services are often unexplored, and possible relief is not made available.

From US News

MPP, maximum power point; OC, open circuit; SC, short circuit. c, The solar spectrum is broadband, evenly dispersed across visible and infrared components.

From Nature

Thus, the incandescent filament spinning in an unexhausted globe, the well-known Crookes experiment on open circuit, and the many others suggested, will not fail to interest the reader.

From Project Gutenberg

Your body’s open circuits are a different matter.

From Washington Post