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Glite Dictionary
Leyden jar

Leyden jar

1 9.9
A glass jar that stores electric charge using metal foil inside and outside
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪdən ˌdʒɑr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : frasco de Leyden
  • The scientist carefully demonstrated how to charge a Leyden jar using a static electricity generator.

Examples

  • Running a sequel is rather like trying to capture lightning in a bottle; it's possible (you need a Leyden jar and a kite); in other words, some very specific preparation.

    Blog text (14)

  • According to the story, in 1752, Franklin went out into a thunderstorm with a kite attached to a key, which was in turn attached to a Leyden jar.

    Blog text (31)

  • It was more than 80 years since Benjamin Franklin, in 1752, had experimented with static electricity from Leyden jars and with electricity from the sky by flying a kite over Philadelphia during a storm.

    Academic text (2000)

  • In the laboratory, students learned about the function of a Leyden jar as an early capacitor for storing electrical energy.

  • When the Leyden jar was fully charged, it produced a remarkable spark that surprised everyone in the room.

Synonyms

Leiden jar
vsLeyden jar
  • Archaic
9.9

A glass jar that stores static electricity with metal foil inside and outside

is the same device but written with a different conventional spelling
electrical condenser
vsLeyden jar
  • Archaic
5.2

A device that stores electric charge to give out later

refers to a historical glass form rather than the modern general device term

Surface Forms

Leyden jar singular
Leyden jars plural

Morphology

Leyden + jar

This is an eponymous name (Leyden = place name) combined with the common noun 'jar', so a learner who knows the parts would only infer 'a jar associated with Leyden' but not its specific technical function. The meaning 'early device for storing static electricity' is a specialized, historical/technical sense that is not predictable from the constituents, so the expression is opaque to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Leyden jar gets its name from the Dutch city of Leiden (often spelled Leyden), where scientists first made the device in the 1740s. It was a glass jar lined with metal that could 'store' electricity, so the city's name became the name for this early electrical storage device.