Leiden jar
- noun
- /ˈlaɪdən ˌdʒɑr/
- Archaic
:
tarro de Leiden
- The scientist demonstrated how the Leiden jar could store and release static electricity during the experiment.
Examples
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But although the Leiden jar became a global electrical phenomenon, no-one had the slightest idea how it worked.
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So in honour of the city where Musschenbroek made his discovery, they called it the Leiden jar.
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And he believed this simple idea could solve the mystery of the Leiden jar.
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Why the Leiden jar made the biggest sparks when it was held in the hand?
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So the Leiden jar's shock was high-voltage but low charge whereas the fish was low voltage and high charge.
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Franklin's big idea had been that the long pole would capture the lightning, pass it down the metal rod and store it in the wine bottle at the base which worked as a Leiden jar.
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Solving the mystery of the Leiden jar and recognising lightning as merely a kind of electricity were two great successes for Franklin and the new Enlightenment movement.
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In 18th-century physics, the Leiden jar was an essential device for studying electrical phenomena.
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Teachers often use a Leiden jar in classrooms to illustrate the principles of electricity.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A glass jar that stores electric charge using metal foil inside and outside
Surface Forms
Morphology
Leiden + jar
The term is an eponymic compound: 'Leiden' (a place name) + 'jar' (a container), so a learner who knows both words would only infer a jar from Leiden, not its specialized function as an early capacitor for storing static electricity. The technical, historical meaning is not derivable from the constituents and requires prior exposure or domain knowledge, making it unpredictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Leiden jar comes from the city of Leiden, where early scientists put metal foil inside a glass jar to hold 'electricity'. Because the glass jar could 'store' static 'electricity' and make big sparks when it was let out, the name now means a device that holds electric charge.