solenoid

S1O1L1E1N1O1I1D2
/ˈsɒlɪnɔɪd//ˈsoʊlɪnɔɪd/

noun

A coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current flows through it.

OriginFrench solénoïde ← Ancient Greek σωληνοειδής →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounsolenoid (plural solenoids)

plural solenoids

  1. natural sciencesA coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current flows through it.
    1. engineeringAn electromechanical device consisting of such a coil containing a metal core, the movement of which is controlled by the current.
  2. businessAn electromechanical switch controlled by a solenoid; solenoid switch, relay.
  3. climatologyThe region of intersection between isobaric and isopycnal surfaces.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekσωληνοειδής
  2. Frenchsolénoïde
  3. Englishsolenoid

From French solénoïde, from Ancient Greek σωληνοειδής (sōlēnoeidḗs) (from σωλήν (sōlḗn, “channel, pipe”) + -ειδής (-eidḗs); see -oid).

More words from French, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan solenoide
  • solenoidecoil of wire
Chinese Mandarin 螺線管 /螺线管
  • 螺線管 /螺线管coil of wire
Czech solenoid, cívka
  • solenoidcoil of wire
  • cívkacoil of wire
Dutch solenoïde, spoel
  • solenoïdecoil of wire
  • spoelcoil of wire
Esperanto solenoido
  • solenoidocoil of wire
Finnish solenoidi
  • solenoidicoil of wire
French solénoïde
  • solénoïdecoil of wire
German Spule, Magnetspule
  • Spulecoil of wire
  • Magnetspulecoil of wire
Greek ηλεκτρομαγνητική βαλβίδα
  • ηλεκτρομαγνητική βαλβίδα (ilektromagnitikí valvída)coil of wire
Italian solenoide
  • solenoidecoil of wire
Māori pōkai waea
  • pōkai waeacoil of wire
Norwegian Bokmål spole
  • spolecoil of wire
Polish solenoid
  • solenoidcoil of wire
Portuguese solenoide
  • solenoidecoil of wire
Russian солено́ид
  • солено́ид (solenóid)coil of wire
Spanish solenoide
  • solenoidecoil of wire
Swedish spole
  • spolecoil of wire
Tagalog malabumbong
  • malabumbongcoil of wire
Cite this entry
APA

solenoid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solenoid

MLA

“solenoid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solenoid. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “solenoid,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solenoid.

Source: solenoid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.