Resistor

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈzɪstə/

Definitions

1. An electronic component that reduces electric current flow and converts electrical energy into heat
2. A device used in electrical circuits that limits current flow, influences voltage levels, and dissipates energy as heat
3. An electronic element that restricts the passage of electric charge, alters voltage, and transforms electrical energy into thermal energy

Etymology: The resistor is a plain, almost literal name: it is simply the thing that resists. Its base, "resist," came into English through Anglo-Norman and Middle English from Latin "resistere," a compound of "re-" (back, against) and "sistere" (to stand, to cause to stand). So the word's core image is of something that plants itself against a force. The ending "-or" is an agent suffix, added to the English verb "resist" to name the device that does the resisting, much as a "conductor" conducts or a "generator" generates. The Latin ancestry of the verb runs deep, but the device itself is a modern invention, and the word is best read as a practical label attached to a physical effect rather than a classical term. Its meaning is precise: the component opposes the passage of electric current, and in doing so turns some of the electrical energy into heat.

Synonyms: resistance, electrical component