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capacitor

noun

Simple meaning

An electronic component capable of storing electrical energy in an electric field.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kuhpasuhter

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

kəˈpæsətɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. electronics

    An electronic component capable of storing electrical energy in an electric field; especially one consisting of two conductors separated by a dielectric.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

This meaning: An electronic component capable of storing electrical energy in an electric field; especially one consisting of two conductors separated by a dielectric.

Used this way, capacitor is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

variable capacitorbypass capacitorcapacitor voltageplate capacitorcoupling capacitorcapacitor bankfilter capacitorseries capacitor

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • capacitynounDerived noun

    Capability to perform or produce.

  • capacitancenounDerived noun

    An electrical phenomenon whereby an electric charge is stored.

  • capacitiveadjectiveDerived adjective

    Related to an electrical phenomenon whereby an electric charge is stored.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • capacitor mikenounCompound term

    Microphone consisting of a capacitor with one plate fixed and the other forming the diaphragm moved by sound waves.

  • capacitor microphonenounCompound term

    Microphone consisting of a capacitor with one plate fixed and the other forming the diaphragm moved by sound waves.

  • bypass capacitornounCompound term

    A capacitor that provides low impedance over certain (high) frequencies.

  • electrolytic capacitornounCompound term

    A fixed capacitor consisting of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte.

  • trimming capacitornounCompound term

    Capacitor having variable capacitance.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: electronic component capable of storing electrical energy in an electric field

condenser

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.