dry-pile
Definition
Noun: A dry-pile is an early type of electric battery consisting of a stack (pile) of metal discs separated by dry or slightly moistened absorbent material, such as paper or cloth, which generates a small electrical current through chemical action without the use of liquid electrolyte.
Usage Examples
- (A simple battery made of stacked metal discs and dry separators.)
- (A battery that does not require liquid electrolyte.)
Advanced Usage
- "dry-pile battery": a specific type of voltaic pile where the electrolyte is not liquid but absorbed into a solid material.
- The dry-pile battery was an important step toward modern solid-state batteries. (A historical battery with a non-liquid electrolyte.)
Variants and Related Words
- Dry cell (n): a modern battery with a paste electrolyte, derived from the dry-pile concept.
- A flashlight uses a dry cell, not a wet cell. (A battery with a non-liquid electrolyte.)
- Voltaic pile (n): the original form of electric battery invented by Alessandro Volta, which is similar to a dry-pile but often uses liquid-soaked discs.
- The voltaic pile is the ancestor of the dry-pile. (The earliest type of chemical battery.)
Synonyms
- Voltaic pile: a stack of alternating metal discs and electrolyte-soaked material that produces electricity.
- Galvanic pile: another term for a voltaic pile, referring to the same device.
Related Idioms