Short for 'Leyden jar,' an early electrical device that stores static electricity, used in 18th-century scientific experiments.
Named after Leiden, a city in the Netherlands, where the device was invented around 1745. The capital refers to the place of origin, following scientific naming conventions.
The Leyden jar was basically the first battery and the first capacitor—18th-century scientists were absolutely shocked (literally!) when they discovered they could store electricity. A guy named von Kleist nearly got killed testing it, which made it famous for being dangerously powerful.
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