Electric
/ɪˈlɛk.trɪk/noun
Relating to electricity or powered by it.
Did you know?The word was coined in the 1600s from Greek ēlektron, meaning amber, because rubbed amber produces static electricity — one of language’s best examples of a word turning a tiny natural trick into a scientific revolution.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂el-
“to shine, be bright”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἤλεκτρον (ēlektron)
“amber; a golden shining substance”
Late Latin
Latin
electricus
“of amber; like amber”
1600
English
electric
“pertaining to amber or the force produced by rubbed amber”
17th–19th Century
English
electric
“relating to electrical phenomena and then to electricity itself”
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