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Definition of dielectric in US English:
dielectric
adjective
PhysicsHaving the property of transmitting electric force without conduction; insulating.
- ‘The basic assumption is that electronic dielectric response is everywhere uniform.’
- ‘An electrically polarizable object will be trapped in a region of a focused electric field, provided there is sufficient dielectric response to overcome thermal energy and the electrophoretic force.’
- ‘The conductance caused by dielectric breakdown of membranes is proportional to the amplitude and duration of the electric field.’
- ‘The accumulation of excessive electric charge in dielectric insulation is extremely rare, but when it does occur, it is often catastrophic.’
- ‘Under normal circumstances, very few high-energy electrons lodge in the dielectric materials, and most naturally leak away over time.’
noun
PhysicsA medium or substance that transmits electric force without conduction; an insulator.
- ‘The dielectric can be air, paper, plastic or anything else that does not conduct electricity and keeps the plates from touching each other.’
- ‘In many photonic structures composed of two or more dielectrics, the absolute value of the refractive index contrast is critical to performance.’
- ‘But low-k dielectrics improve the insulation between the circuits, thus allowing efficient transistor switching without the need for excessive power, and consequently without the extra heat.’
- ‘This differs from the usual approach, which embeds the side chain directly within the protein dielectric.’
- ‘At that size, it expects to make use of new materials and high-k dielectrics.’
Origin
Mid 19th century: from di- + electric, literally ‘across which electricity is transmitted (without conduction)’.
