electrical discharge
1
4.2
- noun
- /ɪˈlɛktrɪkəl dɪsˈtʃɑrdʒ/
- Specialized
:
descarga eléctrica
- Michael A. Lieberman is receiving the Will Allis Prize for his groundbreaking and insightful experimental and theoretical work on the physics of electrical discharges and their applications to plasma processing.
- electrical discharge effects
Examples
-
The electrical discharge can activate some oocytes, although in most cases, additional treatment is required.
Academic text (1999) -
And, by Jove, recent Hubble Space Telescope images of Jupiter's polar regions reveal extensive electrical discharges deep within that planet's turbulent layers of clouds.
Academic text (2002) -
This looks like some kind of electrical discharge.
-
Smoke and electrical discharge in both tubes.
-
By lightning, you mean an electrical discharge?
-
"It looks more like some kind of electrical discharge." "Smells like it, too," Dan said.
Fiction book (1998) -
An electrical discharge fills the glass chamber, causing the body inside to jerk.
Fiction book (1997) -
Definitely an electrical discharge.
Fiction book (1998) -
In 1749, Benjamin Franklin made a fundamental discovery—that lightning is an electrical discharge between a thundercloud and Earth.
Academic text (2006) -
When a lightning bolt strikes, it creates a powerful electrical discharge that lights up the sky.
Synonyms
130
2.1
A small flash of fire or electricity
36
6.9
A sudden flow of electricity that makes light or sparks
24
7.3
A bright, hot flow of electricity through air like lightning
1
5.2
A flow of electricity through a gas that makes light or a spark
1
5.4
A bright, very hot flow of electricity across a gap that makes light and heat
1
9.8
A sudden electrical spark that jumps across an insulator or between wires
A faint blue electric glow with many thin light rays that appears when high voltage makes a spark
A faint glow around a high-voltage wire when the air becomes charged
A faint glow of electricity around a high-voltage wire
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'electrical' specifies the domain (electricity) while 'discharge' denotes a release or movement, so together they directly denote a release/passage of electricity. This adjective + noun combination is a straightforward, cross-linguistic pattern and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Electrical discharge gives a simple picture: electrical means electricity and discharge means a sudden 'release' or 'jump' of that electricity, like a bright 'spark' or lightning. So it means the sudden passing or 'flow' of electricity that you can sometimes see as a flash.