electric fluid
/ɪˌlɛktrɪk ˈfluːɪd/Now historical
noun
A subtle, imponderable, all-pervading fluid that was formerly thought to be the cause of electrical phenomena. Also figurative. Compare earlier electric fire.
- In the view of Benjamin Franklin, an excess of the fluid gave rise to positive electricity, and a deficiency to negative electricity (hence the terms ‘positive’ and ‘negative’). Other writers thought that the two kinds of electricity corresponded to two different fluids..
Origin
Mid 18th century. From electric + fluid.