battery

¹

[ bat-uh-ree ]

noun

, plural bat·ter·ies.

1. Also called galvanic battery, voltaic battery. Electricity. a combination of two or more cells electrically connected to work together to produce electric energy. cell ( def 7a ).
2. any large group or series of related things:

   a battery of questions.

3. Military.
   1. two or more pieces of artillery used for combined action.
   2. a tactical unit of artillery, usually consisting of six guns together with the artillerymen, equipment, etc., required to operate them.
   3. a parapet or fortification equipped with artillery.
4. a group or series of similar articles, machines, parts, etc.
5. Baseball. the pitcher and catcher considered as a unit.
6. Navy.
   1. (on a warship) a group of guns having the same caliber or used for the same purpose.
   2. the whole armament of a warship.
7. Psychology. a series of tests yielding a single total score, used for measuring aptitude, intelligence, personality, etc.
8. the act of beating or battering.
9. Law. an unlawful attack upon another person by beating or wounding, or by touching in an offensive manner.
10. an instrument used in battering.
11. Also Music. the instruments comprising the percussion section of an orchestra.
12. any imposing group of persons or things acting or directed in unison:

    a battery of experts.

Battery

²

[ bat-uh-ree ]

noun

1. The Battery, a park at the south end of Manhattan, in New York City.

battery

/ ˈbætərɪ /

noun

1. 1. two or more primary cells connected together, usually in series, to provide a source of electric current
   2. short for dry battery
2. another name for accumulator
3. a number of similar things occurring together

   a battery of questions

4. criminal law unlawful beating or wounding of a person or mere touching in a hostile or offensive manner See also assault and battery
5. a fortified structure on which artillery is mounted
6. a group of guns, missile launchers, searchlights, or torpedo tubes of similar type or size operated as a single entity
7. a small tactical unit of artillery usually consisting of two or more troops, each of two, three or four guns
8. 1. a large group of cages for intensive rearing of poultry
   2. ( as modifier )

      battery hens

9. psychol a series of tests
10. chess two pieces of the same colour placed so that one can unmask an attack by the other by moving
11. the percussion section in an orchestra
12. baseball the pitcher and the catcher considered together

battery

/ băt′ə-rē /

1. A device containing an electric cell or a series of electric cells storing energy that can be converted into electrical power (usually in the form of direct current). Common household batteries, such as those used in a flashlight, are usually made of dry cells (the chemicals producing the current are made into a paste). In other batteries, such as car batteries, these chemicals are in liquid form.

battery

1. A device that produces an electric current (see also current ) by harnessing the chemical reactions that take place within its cells.

Word History and Origins

Origin of battery¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French batterie, equivalent to batt(re) “to beat” + -erie noun suffix; bate ², -ery

Word History and Origins

Origin of battery¹

C16: from Old French batterie beating, from battre to beat, from Latin battuere

A Closer Look

A battery stores chemical energy, which it converts to electrical energy. A typical battery, such as a car battery, is composed of an arrangement of galvanic cells. Each cell contains two metal electrodes, separate from each other, immersed within an electrolyte containing both positive and negative ions. A chemical reaction between the electrodes and the electrolyte, similar to that found in electroplating, takes place, and the metals dissolve in the electrolyte, leaving electrons behind on the electrodes. However, the metals dissolve at different rates, so a greater number of electrons accumulate at one electrode (creating the negative electrode) than at the other electrode (which becomes the positive electrode). This gives rise to an electric potential between the electrodes, which are typically linked together in series and parallel to one another in order to provide the desired voltage at the battery terminals (12 volts, for example, for a car battery). The buildup of charge on the electrodes prevents the metals from dissolving further, but if the battery is hooked up to an electric circuit through which current may flow, electrons are drawn out of the negative electrodes and into the positive ones, reducing their charge and allowing further chemical reactions.

Example Sentences

Lithium-ion batteries are set to become even more powerful with new materials for the cathodes.

From Science Daily

Once the battery runs out, they will not detonate.

From BBC

He said the alarms were all connected, so if one sounded, they all sounded, and a smoke alarm might bleep if the main power supply had been cut off and the battery power was low.

From BBC

The Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate law Biden signed, has unleashed a boom in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing and other clean energy technology that has disproportionately benefited red states and districts.

From Los Angeles Times

That’s a gross exaggeration, as gasoline, battery and hydrogen vehicles all are subject to fire and explosion, albeit in different ways.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• artillery