Etymologically
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electrician

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 01:08. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌɛlɪkˈtɹɪʃ(ə)n/[1]
  • US: /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪʃən/, /əˌlɛkˈtɹɪʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English electric + -ian,[2][3][4][5] in the pattern of words in -ician such as technician.[6][2] Electric goes back to New Latin electricus, apparently first used by William Gilbert in “De Magnete” (1600), from ēlectrum (“amber”).[2] The OED compares French électricien, recorded in 1752 in a translation of Franklin.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who studies electricity or knows its science: 1749, in a letter of Benjamin Franklin of 29 April.[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1751,[3] and Dictionary.com calls it an Americanism of 1745–55.[5]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century an electrician was a natural philosopher who experimented with electricity, a sense the OED now calls rare.[2][3] With the spread of electric power the word passed to the tradesman: Etymonline dates the sense of a technician who works on electrical systems and appliances to 1869,[3] and the OED and the dictionaries now give it as a person who installs, maintains or repairs electrical equipment.[2][7][8] In London slang of 1804 a sheriff's officer dealing with debtors was called an electrician, apparently because his arrival gave them a shock.[9] In the United States Navy the word also names a warrant officer who supervises electrical equipment.[6]

Timeline

  • 1749 – a person versed in the science of electricity.[2][6]
  • 1804 – in slang, a sheriff's officer.[9]
  • 1869 – a technician who works on electrical systems and appliances.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person whose job is to install, maintain and repair electrical wiring and equipment: We called an electrician to fix the fuse box.[7][6][10]
  2. A specialist in the science of electricity (now rare).[6][2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  10. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press