1600

William Gilbert coins the term electricity from the Greek word elecktra.

1600

The English physician William Gilbert, remembered today largely for his book De Magnete (1600), is credited as one of the originators of the term "electricity". He is regarded by some as the father of electrical engineering or electricity and magnetism. In his book, he also studied static electricity using amber; amber is called elektron in Greek, so Gilbert decided to call its effect the electric force. He invented the first electrical measuring instrument, the electroscope, in the form of a pivoted needle he called the versorium.

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