volta

¹

[ vohl-tuh, vol-; Italian vawl-tah ]

noun

, Music.

, plural vol·te [vohl, -tey, vol, -, vawl, -te].

1. turn; time (used in phrases):

   una volta (“once”);

   prima volta (“first time”).

Volta

²

[ vohl-tuhor, Italian vawl-tah vol-tuh, vohl- ]

noun

1. Count A·les·san·dro [ah-les-, sahn, -d, r, aw], 1745–1827, Italian physicist.
2. a river in W Africa, in Ghana, formed by the confluence of the Black Volta and the White Volta and flowing S into the Bight of Benin. About 250 miles (400 km) long; with branches about 1,240 miles (1,995 km) long.

volta

¹

/ ˈvɔlta; ˈvɒltə /

noun

1. a quick-moving Italian dance popular during the 16th and 17th centuries
2. a piece of music written for or in the rhythm of this dance, in triple time

Volta

²

/ ˈvɔlta; ˈvəʊltə /

noun

1. VoltaAlessandro17451827MItalianSCIENCE: physicist Count Alessandro (alesˈsandro). 1745–1827, Italian physicist after whom the volt is named. He made important contributions to the theory of current electricity and invented the voltaic pile (1800), the electrophorus (1775), and an electroscope

Volta

³

/ ˈvɒltə /

noun

1. a river in W Africa, formed by the confluence of the Black Volta and the White Volta in N central Ghana: flows south to the Bight of Benin: the chief river of Ghana. Length: 480 km (300 miles); (including the Black Volta) 1600 km (1000 miles)
2. Lake Volta
   an artificial lake in Ghana, extending 408 km (250 miles) upstream from the Volta River Dam on the Volta River: completed in 1966. Area: 8482 sq km (3275 sq miles)

Volta

/ vōl′tə /

1. Italian physicist who in 1800 invented the voltaic pile, which was the first source of continuous electric current. The volt unit of electromotive force is named for him.

Word History and Origins

Origin of volta¹

1635–45; < Italian: a turn; volt ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of volta¹

C17: from Italian: turn; see volt ²

Example Sentences

“It’s heartbreak, it’s wanting, it’s not feeling good enough, it’s being queer. I liked listening to the Mars Volta,” she adds of the psychedelic punk band that formed around the same time as Tegan and Sara, “but I had no idea what was happening in their songs. Tegan and Sara’s music felt so intimate. I felt like I knew them.”

From Los Angeles Times

Fans online circulated an Instagram comment that former Scientologist and Mars Volta musician Cedric Bixler-Zavala sent to Armstrong, alleging that she has ties to the controversial group.

From Salon

Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife Chrissie Carnell-Bixler spoke out against Armstrong after she joined the band.

From BBC

Fans online have been circulating an Instagram comment that former Scientologist and the Mars Volta musician Cedric Bixler-Zavala sent to Armstrong, alleging that she has ties to the controversial group.

From Salon

Desert Daze had just announced its lineup, which was set to feature Jack White, Cigarettes After Sex and the Mars Volta, a month ago.

From Los Angeles Times