capacitance

UK: /kəˈpæsɪtəns/ US: (kə pas′i təns)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ca•pac•i•tance  (kə pas′i təns), n. [Elect.]

1. Electricity the ratio of an impressed charge on a conductor to the corresponding change in potential.
2. Electricity the ratio of the charge on either conductor of a capacitor to the potential difference between the conductors.
3. Electricity the property of being able to collect a charge of electricity. Symbol: C

• capacit(y) + -ance 1905–10

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

capacitance / kəˈpæsɪtəns/ noun

1. the property of a system that enables it to store electric charge
2. a measure of this, equal to the charge that must be added to such a system to raise its electrical potential by one unit

Former name: capacity Etymology: 20th Century: from capacit( y) + -ance

caˈpacitive adjective

caˈpacitively adverb