rechargeable
ree-CHAR-juh-bul
/riːˈtʃɑːr.dʒə.bəl/
Capable of being restored to full electrical power capacity repeatedly by connection to an external electrical supply.
Describes energy storage cells engineered for reversible chemical energy cycles.
The story behind the word. Formed by adding the prefix 're-' (again) to 'charge', which traces back to Late Latin 'carricare' (to load a wagon, from 'carrus'). Applied to electricity in the 19th century, it moved from lead-acid car batteries to modern mobile lithium-ion cells.
Word relationships
- secondary cell: Secondary cell is the technical electrochemical term for a rechargeable battery structure.
- disposable: Primary single-use energy storage meant to be thrown away once depleted.
- non-rechargeable: Incapable of taking electrical charge back into its internal chemical structure.
Commonly confused with
- renewable: Renewable refers to natural energy sources like wind or solar, whereas rechargeable refers to electrical batteries.
Word family
- recharge (verb): To restore electrical energy or personal energy.
- recharger (noun): A device or adapter used to restore power to a battery.
Collocations
- rechargeable battery
- rechargeable cell
- rechargeable power supply
- fully rechargeable
- rechargeable energy storage
Example sentences
- "The mobile phone relies on an internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery for daily operation." Hardware Engineering
- "A fast rechargeable cell ensures your smartphone reaches eighty percent power in thirty minutes." Product Features
Memory hook
RE (again) + CHARGE: able to be charged up over and over again. Battery that can be restored with plug-in power.
When not to use
Do not use for primary single-use disposable alkaline batteries like basic zinc-carbon cells.
Fun facts
- Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for enabling the modern mobile technology revolution.
Related words
Explore more words
renewable, restorative, regenerative, Renewable Energy, capacitance, electric
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.