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electrical cable

electrical cable

1 2.8
Wires wrapped in a covering that carry electricity to devices
  • noun
  • /ɪˈlɛktrɪkəl ˈkeɪbəl/
translation icon : cable eléctrico
  • Each was covered with spotted plastic sheets or dusty canvas tarpaulins; crates of spare parts were stacked nearby, and electrical cables snaked across the concrete floor.
  • a thick electrical cable
  • miles of electrical cable
  • electrical cables snake

Examples

  • True, there were still a few cranes in the museum's backyard, and some exposed electrical cables still snaked across the ground.

    Academic text (2009)
  • As of right now, the kitchen space is nearly wired with electrical cable, the new windows are in (without glass), the partition separating the workspace from the sale area is completed, the water tank is elevated, and the sink has been installed, giving us a supply of running water!

    Blog text (11)
  • Here we see Edison's workers laying down electrical cable beneath New York City.

  • Some plants have ninety miles of piping and over 1,000 miles of electrical cable.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Crews from several TV stations had set up their lights around the stage area, and thick electrical cables snaked everywhere along the grass.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • We run some industrial-strength electrical cable from the top of the clock tower down, suspending it over the street between these two lamp posts.

  • Outside was a long row of clapboard houses, all built on stilts (ready for the next flood), and beyond that, thick electrical cables sagging between poles, then treetops, then sky.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Salik and Tessaril had found spare electrical cables and rigged up water electrolysis units to produce oxygen, which they stored in the empty tanks of the AMs.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The electrician installed new electrical cables to improve the building's power supply.

  • Fat black electrical cables snaked over the floor in the construction area.

Synonyms

cable
vselectrical cable
  • Specialized
282 2.4

A thick strong wire that carries electricity or signals

is a conductor assembly designed for devices and transmission, not general ropes
cord
vselectrical cable
  • US
92 2.0

A thin insulated wire that carries electricity to appliances

is larger in scale and used for wider transmission tasks
power cable
vselectrical cable
5 2.4

A wire that carries electricity to a machine or device

is broader, also used for device connections and signal transmission
power cord
vselectrical cable
4 2.2

A cable that connects a device to a wall outlet to give it power

is a general conductor not limited to appliance leads
electric cord
vselectrical cable
1 2.4

A flexible covered wire that carries electricity to an appliance

is broader, serving many roles beyond appliance connections
conducting wire
vselectrical cable
  • Specialized
3.4

A thin metal line that carries electricity from one place to another

is made of multiple conductors and for broader device or transmission use

How Thick

power cable
5 2.4
electrical cable
1 2.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

electrical + cable

The meaning 'a cable that carries electricity' is directly and transparently derived from 'electrical' (pertaining to electricity) modifying 'cable' (a strong wire for power). This simple adjective + noun compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard English modification, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Electrical cable comes from the simple image of electrical meaning 'power' and cable meaning a thick, rope-like bundle of wires. Imagine a covered rope of wires carrying a flow of 'electricity' to a lamp or TV, and you see why it means a protected bundle of wires used to 'carry' power.