Leyden jar

noun

Ley·​den jar ˈlī-dᵊn- 

: 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

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

But there was no reliable way of studying electricity until the invention of the Leyden jar, in 1745. — The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2021

Metal collector combs separate the charges into positive and negative and conduct them to two Leyden jar capacitors. — IEEE Spectrum, 14 May 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Leiden, Leyden, Netherlands

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Leyden jar

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar

Kids Definition

Leyden jar

noun

Ley·​den jar ˌlīd-ᵊn- 

: 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- 

: 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