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Definition of "galvanism" [gal•va•nism]

  • Direct-current electricity, especially when produced chemically. Also called voltaism. (noun)
  • Therapeutic application of direct-current electricity, especially the electric stimulation of nerves and muscle. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "galvanism" in a sentence
  • "This action was long called galvanism, after this observer, not, however, that he was absolutely the first to notice a fact of which he was but a re-discoverer -- Swammerdam as long ago as 1658 having observed such motions."
  • "Once he heard a lecture on the impossibility of applying steam navigation to the ocean; at another time he saw the principle of "galvanism" illustrated with a small battery, but the impracticability of its use for industrial purposes on account of the high cost of mercury was pointed out."
  • "English speakers borrowed the word as "galvanism" in 1797; the verb "galvanize" was introduced in 1802."