galvanic
Americanadjective
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Also: voltaic. of, producing, or concerned with an electric current, esp a direct current produced chemically
a galvanic cell
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informal resembling the effect of an electric shock; convulsive, startling, or energetic
galvanic reflexes
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Relating to electricity generated by a chemical reaction. A galvanic cell is an electric cell, such as found in household and car batteries, that makes use of galvanic reactions to act as a power source.
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See Note at battery
Other Word Forms
- galvanically adverb
Etymology
Origin of galvanic
1790–1800; < French galvanique, named after Luigi Galvani; see -ic
Explanation
You can use the adjective galvanic to describe electricity that's formed from a chemical reaction. A galvanic current, or one that develops from two or more substances reacting chemically to each other, is often considered to be harmful, causing corrosion of metal in some cases. A deliberate galvanic reaction happens in a battery, however, as its electricity is produced from a chemical reaction. The word galvanic comes from the name of the Italian scientist who first identified this kind of electricity, Luigi Galvani.
Vocabulary lists containing galvanic
"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe
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The Devil in the White City
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David Copperfield
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We use experts in behavioral science, facial coding, galvanic skin response, and other subjects and research methods as well.
From Salon • Oct. 1, 2024
"Analysis of the domestic hot water pipework has indicated erosion corrosion and galvanic corrosion to be the cause, pseudomonas is not a factor."
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2024
Initially, they developed bulk gold nanowires by coating the exterior of the silver nanowires, suppressing the galvanic phenomenon.
From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2023
It’s a galvanic moment, and George recognizes it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2023
The President switched off the music and, with the final note of the final stanza, there was absolute silence—the silence of stretched expectancy, quivering and creeping with a galvanic life.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
