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Glite Dictionary
extension cord

extension cord

15 2.5
A cable with a plug and sockets that lets you use electric devices farther from an outlet
  • noun
  • /ɪkˈstɛnʃən kɔrd/
  • US
: cable de extensión
  • We would run a regular 120V extension cord to power our laptops.

I was two years old in the hood and my mother, we was in the little toe up, toe up spot and I put an extension cord in my mouth and it exploded.

Examples

  • He used the extension cord to connect the Christmas lights to the outside outlet.

  • I use an audiovisual cart that has a built-in extension cord, and I can plug the entire system into one outlet.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Yeah, believe it or not, I own an extension cord.

    Smother (2008)

  • Look, it's an extension cord.

    Deck the Halls (2006)

  • What exactly would be the problem with running an extension cord up to the camera?

    Blog text (5)

  • Can you get me an extension cord and a drill bit from the shop?

    Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

  • Now I agree that using a long extension cord would be impractical for the mountains.

    Blog text (5)

  • Martha pulled the jigsaw and extension cord out into the living room.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Do any of you have a 100-foot extension cord so you can help your neighbors?

    Blog text (32)

  • Sure enough, she found it in Hardware, hanging on a rack among the extension cords and three-prong adapters.

    Fiction book (1995)

Surface Forms

extension cord singular
extension cords plural

Morphology

extension + cord

The noun is compositionally built from 'extension' (an added part that makes something longer) and 'cord' (a wire), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a cord that extends reach/power. This noun-noun compounding pattern is transparent and common cross-linguistically, making the meaning predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Extension cord is a simple picture: a long cord that gives an extension to a wall outlet. Imagine the wire reaching across a room to bring electricity to a lamp, so it literally 'extends' the 'reach' of the power.