adj
Freq #48843
Meanings
-
1
adj
relating to stationary electric charges, the fields and forces they produce, or devices that use those forces
An electrostatic accelerator uses a large voltage to speed charged particles toward a target.
Thesaurus
Word family
Derived forms
electrostatically
Related forms
electrostaticsstatic electricityelectric chargeelectric fieldCoulomb force
Etymology
Formed from electro- + static. Electro- ultimately comes from Greek elektron ("amber"), whose electrical effects were observed when rubbed; static comes through Latin from Greek statikos ("causing to stand"). The compound refers to electric charge treated as stationary.