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Glite Dictionary
electrical shunt

electrical shunt

5.5
A wire that has low resistance and is placed across a device to carry some electricity away
  • noun
  • /ɪˈlɛktrɪkəl ʃʌnt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : desviador eléctrico
  • The technician added an electrical shunt to the circuit to measure the current safely.

Examples

  • An electrical shunt is commonly used in automotive battery monitoring systems.

  • The technician installed an electrical shunt to prevent overload.

  • By installing an electrical shunt, engineers were able to prevent the sensitive equipment from overheating.

  • An electrical shunt helps to redirect excess current.

  • An electrical shunt is commonly used in automotive battery monitoring systems.

  • The technician added an electrical shunt to the circuit to measure the current safely.

  • By installing an electrical shunt, engineers were able to prevent the sensitive equipment from overheating.

Synonyms

bypass
vselectrical shunt
  • Specialized
10 7.2

Wire placed next to a part in a circuit to send current around it

focuses on being a low resistance path to divert current
shunt
vselectrical shunt
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A device that lets electric current flow around part of a circuit

is the same device and function in the circuit

How Conductive

short circuit
  • Specialized
5 4.2
electrical shunt
  • Specialized
5.5
resistance
  • Specialized
46 4.4

Surface Forms

electrical shunt singular
electrical shunts plural

Morphology

electrical + shunt

The noun is a straightforward composition: 'electrical' specifies the domain (pertaining to electricity) and 'shunt' denotes a conductor that bypasses or diverts current, so the combined meaning is directly inferable as a conductor used to divert electric current. This modifier + noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common in technical vocabulary, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Electrical shunt comes from the word shunt, which means 'send to the side'. Imagine a river with a small side channel that takes away some water; an electrical shunt is a path with low resistance that takes some electric current away to protect or measure the rest of the circuit, so the name shows its job of 'diverting' electricity.