Chargeless

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Being devoid of electric charge in both physical and theoretical contexts
2. Not possessing any electrical charge, either positive or negative
3. Having a neutral state with no net electric charge present

Etymology: "Chargeless" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it is simply "charge" with the suffix "-less", meaning "without". The "charge" at its root comes through Old French "charge" from Late Latin "carricare", meaning to load a vehicle, which is also the source of "car" and "cargo" in the sense of a loaded burden. In physics, "charge" took on its electrical sense from the older idea of a load or quantity placed into something, so an object that holds no electric charge is, literally, one that has not been loaded. The suffix "-less" is an ordinary Old English element, descended from a word meaning "loose" or "free from", and it has been used productively for centuries to form adjectives like "careless" and "fearless". Attaching it to the scientific sense of "charge" produces a plain descriptive term, most often used for neutral particles or bodies in physics and chemistry.

Synonyms: uncharged

Antonyms: charged