phantom circuit

noun

, Electricity.

1. a circuit derived from two suitably arranged pairs of wires, each pair being a circuit side circuit and also acting as one half of an additional derived circuit, the entire system providing the capabilities of three circuits while requiring wires for only two.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phantom circuit¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The phantom circuit uses one of the physical pairs as a wire of its line.

From Project Gutenberg

A phantom circuit is formed most simply when both physical lines end in the same two offices.

From Project Gutenberg

In doing so, each phantom circuit is transposed with proper regard to each of the other three on that twenty-wire line.

From Project Gutenberg