LL-L "Grammar" 2007.09.12 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  12 September 2007 - Volume 03
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2007.09.11 (07) [E]

From: Danette & John Howland < dan_how at msn.com>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2007.09.06 (02) [E]

Does anyone know when the word *battery* in the sense of electrical storage
devices became singular?

Thanks,
John
Hmm. Can't track the date down, but of course when Volta invented the
device, it was an electrical cell.  Lining them up in rows made for more
power, and by a fancied resemblance to a row of cannons, the array was
called a "battery".  When the term referred to a single cell I'm not sure -
but of course it hasn't completely replaced it anyway - we have D-cells, AAA
cells etc. And "Wordsworth's Dictionary of Science and Technology" still
defines "battery" as a collection, not one.
Paul Finlow-Bates

•

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