The story
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: A measurement device used in ohmmeters, having two coils, one connected via a series resistor to the battery supply and the other connected to the same battery supply via a second resistor and the resistor under test. The indication on the meter was proportional to the ratio of the currents through the two coils. Full definition →
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.