overcurrent

[ oh-ver-kur-uhnt, -kuhr- ]

noun

, Electricity.

1. a current of a magnitude that is greater than a limiting value, as the value at which a fuse melts.

Word History and Origins

Origin of overcurrent¹

First recorded in 1930–35; over- + current

Example Sentences

Variety, the entertainment news site, called it a "solidly made and disquieting thriller" with "a Christian undercurrent that occasionally becomes an overcurrent".

From BBC

Renesas has said the blaze occurred last Friday, and was caused by a plating tank catching fire as a result of an electrical "overcurrent", whose cause is still being investigated.

From BBC

But according to a complaint filed against the water agency, “employees re-routed the electrical supply to bypass this overcurrent breaker protection and used a modified fuse system, but again, did so without properly grounding the system and to include the conduit, resulting in a free flowing current.”

From Los Angeles Times