Leyden jar

noun

, Electricity.

1. a device for storing electric charge, consisting essentially of a glass jar lined inside and outside, for about two-thirds of its height, with tinfoil.

Leyden jar

noun

1. physics an early type of capacitor consisting of a glass jar with the lower part of the inside and outside coated with tin foil

Leyden jar

/ līd′n /

1. An early device for storing electric charge that uses the same principle as a modern capacitor . It consists of a glass jar with conductive metal foil covering its inner and outer surfaces, with the glass insulating these surfaces from each other. The inner surface is charged (by an external source) through an electrode penetrating the top of the jar; the inner and outer foil layers can then hold an equal and opposite charge.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Leyden jar¹

First recorded in 1815–25; so called because invented in Leyden

Word History and Origins

Origin of Leyden jar¹

C18: first made in Leiden

Example Sentences

The discharge of a Leyden jar or of another condenser sets up ether waves that have the speed of light.

From Project Gutenberg

The Leyden-jar should be charged when the instrument is used.

From Project Gutenberg

These plates are in connection with the inner coating of a Leyden-jar, and are termed the attracting plates.

From Project Gutenberg

The whole instrument is enclosed in a metal cage, to protect the glass Leyden-jar and the delicate needle.

From Project Gutenberg

He believed that the electricity in the bottle, or Leyden Jar, was the same thing as the lightning we see in a thunder-storm.

From Project Gutenberg