*volta*

{ } n. [ It. la volta the turn, turning, whirl. Cf. Volt of a horse, Volta. ] An old dance, for two persons, being a kind of waltz, in which the woman made a high spring or bound. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A dancer of the lavolta. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. (Electricity) subjected to or capable of operating under relative low voltage, usually considered as no greater than 250 volts. Contrasted with high-voltage. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Thermo- + voltaic. ] (Physics) Of or relating to heat and electricity; especially, relating to thermal effects produced by voltaic action. Faraday. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Volte [ It. volta a turn, turning, a time. See Volt a tread. ] (Mus.) A turning; a time; -- chiefly used in phrases signifying that the part is to be repeated one, two, or more times; as, una volta, once. Seconda volta, second time, points to certain modifications in the close of a repeated strain. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to voltaic electricity, or voltaism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An instrument for the exact measurement of electric currents. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Elec.) Electric potential or potential difference, expressed in volts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Voltaic + -graphy. ] In electrotypy, the act or art of copying, in metals deposited by electrolytic action, a form or pattern which is made the negative electrode. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. voltaïque, It. voltaico. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Of or pertaining to Alessandro Volta, who first devised apparatus for developing electric currents by chemical action, and established this branch of electric science; discovered by Volta; as, voltaic electricity. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to voltaism, or voltaic electricity; as, voltaic induction; the voltaic arc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ See the Note under Galvanism. [ 1913 Webster ]

Voltaic arc, a luminous arc, of intense brilliancy, formed between carbon points as electrodes by the passage of a powerful voltaic current. --
Voltaic battery, an apparatus variously constructed, consisting of a series of plates or pieces of dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, arranged in pairs, and subjected to the action of a saline or acid solution, by which a current of electricity is generated whenever the two poles, or ends of the series, are connected by a conductor; a galvanic battery. See Battery, 4. (b), and Note. --
Voltaic circuit. See under Circuit. --
Voltaic couple or
Voltaic element, a single pair of the connected plates of a battery. --
Voltaic electricity. See the Note under Electricity. --
Voltaic pile, a kind of voltaic battery consisting of alternate disks of dissimilar metals, separated by moistened cloth or paper. See 5th Pile. --
Voltaic protection of metals, the protection of a metal exposed to the corrosive action of sea water, saline or acid liquids, or the like, by associating it with a metal which is positive to it, as when iron is galvanized, or coated with zinc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. voltairien. ] Of or relating to Voltaire, the French author. J. Morley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The theories or practice of Voltaire. J. Morley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. voltaïsme. ] (Physics) That form of electricity which is developed by the chemical action between metals and different liquids; voltaic electricity; also, the science which treats of this form of electricity; -- called also galvanism, from Galvani, on account of his experiments showing the remarkable influence of this agent on animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Voltaic + -meter. ] (Physics) An instrument for measuring the voltaic electricity passing through it, by its effect in decomposing water or some other chemical compound acting as an electrolyte. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A wattmeter. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Voltaic + Gr. &unr_; molded. ] A form of voltaic, or galvanic, battery suitable for use electrotyping. G. Francis. [ 1913 Webster ]