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lightning rod

light·ning rod
L l

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [lahyt-ning rod]
    • /ˈlaɪt nɪŋ rɒd/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [lahyt-ning rod]
    • /ˈlaɪt nɪŋ rɒd/

Definitions of lightning rod words

  • noun lightning rod a rodlike conductor installed to divert lightning away from a structure by providing a direct path to the ground. 1
  • noun lightning rod a person or thing that attracts and absorbs powerful and especially negative or hostile feelings, opinions, etc., thereby diverting such feelings from other targets: The unpopular supervisor served as a lightning rod for the criticism that should have been aimed at management. 1
  • noun lightning rod electricity conductor 1
  • noun lightning rod person: attracts response 1
  • countable noun lightning rod A lightning rod is the same as a lightning conductor. 0
  • noun lightning rod a tall metal pole placed high on a structure, as a building or tower, and attached to a ground so as to attract lightning and protect the structure from damage 0

Information block about the term

Origin of lightning rod

First appearance:

before 1780
One of the 45% newest English words
An Americanism dating back to 1780-90

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Lightning rod

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

lightning rod popularity

This term is known only to a narrow circle of people with rare knowledge. Only 6% of English native speakers know the meaning of this word.
According to our data most of word are more popular. This word is almost not used. It has a much more popular synonym.

lightning rod usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for lightning rod

noun lightning rod

  • ground — the act of grinding.
  • lightning arrester — a device for preventing damage to radio, telephonic, or other electric equipment from lightning or other high-voltage currents, using spark gaps to carry the current to the ground without passing through the device.
  • lightning conductor — A lightning conductor is a long thin piece of metal on top of a building that attracts lightning and allows it to reach the ground safely.

See also

Matching words

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