Leyden jar

noun

Ley·​den jar ˈlī-dᵊn- How to pronounce Leyden jar (audio)
: an electrical capacitor consisting of a glass jar coated inside and outside with metal foil and having the inner coating connected to a conducting rod passed through an insulating stopper

Illustration of Leyden jar

Illustration of leyden jar

Examples of Leyden jar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hemp string was attached to the bottom of the kite to provide conductivity and attached to a Leyden jar by a thin metal wire. Chuong Nguyen, Ars Technica, 24 May 2023 On this day in history, June 10, 1752, Benjamin Franklin is reported to have flown a kite during a thunderstorm, with a goal of collecting ambient electrical charge in a Leyden jar — a container that could store an electrical charge for later use. Erica Lamberg, Fox News, 10 June 2023 Metal collector combs separate the charges into positive and negative and conduct them to two Leyden jar capacitors. IEEE Spectrum, 14 May 2023 The demonstrator would place a small amount of gunpowder inside the model and then zap the house with an electric charge from an early battery called a Leyden jar. IEEE Spectrum, 1 Apr. 2023 But there was no reliable way of studying electricity until the invention of the Leyden jar, in 1745. The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2021 Franklin then touched the metal key to an electrode protruding from the top of a Leyden jar (an electricity-storing glass jar recently invented by Dutch physicist Pieter van Musschenbroek). Timothy J. Jorgensen, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Leyden jar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Leiden, Leyden, Netherlands

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Leyden jar was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near Leyden jar

Cite this Entry

“Leyden jar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Leyden%20jar. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

Leyden jar

noun
Ley·​den jar ˌlīd-ᵊn- How to pronounce Leyden jar (audio)
: a device for storing electric charge consisting of a glass jar coated inside and outside with metal foil and having the inner coating connected to a conducting rod passed through an insulating stopper

Medical Definition

Leyden jar

noun
Ley·​den jar ˈlīd-ᵊn- How to pronounce Leyden jar (audio)
: the earliest form of electrical capacitor consisting essentially of a glass jar coated part way up both inside and outside with metal foil and having the inner coating connected to a conducting rod passed through the insulating stopper

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