Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounOriginally, a property of amber and certain other nonconducting substances to attract lightweight material when rubbed, or the cause of this property; now understood to be a phenomenon caused by the distribution and movement of charged subatomic particles and their interaction with the electromagnetic field.
nounThe study of electrical phenomena; the branch of science dealing with such phenomena.
Sentence Examples
Can you imagine what our lives would be like without electricity?
Machinery uses a lot of electricity.
The electricity industry consumes large amounts of fossil fuels.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Without ____, the entire city would be plunged into darkness.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Can you imagine what our lives would be like without ____?
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree
Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)bor.
Latin ēlectrum
Proto-Indo-European *-ikos
Proto-Italic *-ikos
Latin -icus
New Latin ēlectricusbor.
English electric
Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-ts
Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts
Latin -itāsder.
Old French -itebor.
Middle English -ite
English -ity
English electricity
From electric + -ity.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Again, the concretion of Ice will not endure a dry attrition without liquation ; for if it be rubbed long with a cloth, it melteth. But Cryſtal will calefie unto electricity ; that is, a power to attract ſtraws or light bodies, and convert the needle freely placed."
— 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, 4th edition, page 56:
"Attraction, then, is the first phenomenon that arrests our attention, and it is one that is constantly attendant on excitation. It is therefore considered a sure indicator of the presence of electricity in an active state, and forms the basis of all its tests."
— 1837, William Leithead, Electricity, page 5:
"We may express all these results in a concise and consistent manner by describing an electrified body as charged with a certain quantity of electricity, which we may denote by e."
— 1873, James Clerk Maxwell, A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism:
"How does it work, though? It's based on the observation made some 200 years ago that electricity can change the shape of flames."
— 2011 March 29, Jon Henley, The Guardian:
"The electricity was crackling around Celtic Park even before a ball had been kicked, the home crowd unleashing noise and colour and every ounce of passion in their bodies on the visitors."
— 2016 September 28, Tom English, “Celtic 3–3 Manchester City”, in BBC Sport: