The fundamental unit of electric current, named after André-Marie Ampère, measuring how much electrical charge flows through a wire each second.
Named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère (1775-1836), who made crucial discoveries about electromagnetism. The term became standard in the 1880s when electrical units were formally standardized internationally.
Before we had the word 'ampere,' there was no universal way to measure electricity — it's like trying to describe speed before we had the word 'miles per hour'! Ampère himself never saw a light bulb or knew his name would become the standard for measuring current worldwide.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.