an alloy of copper (60 per cent) and nickel (40 per cent). It has a high resistivity that does not vary significantly with temperature and is used in resistors and, with copper, in thermocouples
Word origin
C20: formed from constant
constantan in American English
(ˈkɑnstənˌtæn)
noun
an alloy of copper (c. 55%) and nickel (c. 45%), used in pyrometers and thermocouples
Word origin
so named because of its constant-temperature coefficient of resistance