Meanings
plural Townsend discharges
- A gas ionization process where free electrons, accelerated by a sufficiently strong electric field, give rise to electrical conduction through a gas by avalanche multiplication caused by the ionization of molecules by ion impact.
Synonyms: Townsend avalanche
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA gas ionization process where free electrons, accelerated by a sufficiently strong electric field, give rise to electrical conduction through a gas by avalanche multiplication caused by the ionization of molecules by ion impact.
Origin
Named after John Sealy Townsend, who discovered the fundamental mechanism.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Townsend discharge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Townsend%20discharge
“Townsend discharge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Townsend%20discharge. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Townsend discharge,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Townsend%20discharge.
Source: Townsend discharge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.