Meanings
plural Van de Graaff generators
- natural sciencesA device in which an electric charge is built up on a large spherical electrode by means of a rapidly moving belt.
A Van de Graaff generator accumulates large amounts of electric charge, leading to delightful results. The charge travels along individual strands of hair, causing them to repel each other because they have the same type of charge.
2014, Theodore Gray, photography by Nick Mann, Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything, Paperback 2018 Edition, page 12Synonyms: Van de Graaff
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA device in which an electric charge is built up on a large spherical electrode by means of a rapidly moving belt.
More synonyms by meaning
nounelectrical device that produces a high voltage by building up a charge of static electricity
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Derived from the name of the inventor, Robert J. Van de Graaff (1901–1967), an American physicist.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Portuguese gerador Van de Graaff
- gerador Van de Graaffdevice in which an electric charge is built up by means of a moving belt
Cite this entry
Van de Graaff generator. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20de%20Graaff%20generator
“Van de Graaff generator.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20de%20Graaff%20generator. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Van de Graaff generator,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20de%20Graaff%20generator.
Source: Van de Graaff generator on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.