A material that does not conduct electricity but can be polarized by an electric field; used as an insulator in electrical applications.
From Greek dia- 'through' + electric. Coined by Michael Faraday in 1837 to describe materials that allow electric force to act through them without conducting current.
Faraday's invention of 'dielectric' solved a crucial linguistic problem in physics—he needed a word for materials that interact with electricity differently than conductors, leading to one of the most precise scientific neologisms ever created.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.