noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɹiː.ə.stat/
Received-Pronunciation:/-stæt/conservative
Received-Pronunciation:/-əʊ-/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:rē′ə-stăt
Canada, General-American:-ō-
Canada, General-American:/ˈɹi.əˌstæt/
Canada, General-American:/-oʊ-/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/ˈɹiː.ə.stæt/
Australian:[-əʉ̯-]
New-Zealand:/ˈɹiː.ə.stɛt/
New-Zealand:[-ɐʉ̯-]
Scotland:/ˈɹi.ə.stat/
Scotland:/-o-/
1
noun
Meaning 1
An electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: potentiometer
2
noun
Meaning 2
An electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current.
Such a device used to regulate the brightness of an electric light; a dimmer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dimmer switch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: potentiometer
3
noun
Meaning 3
A notional device which causes some quality to vary.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
resistor for regulating current
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: variable resistor
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: resistor, resistance
Narrower terms: dimmer
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ser-? Proto-Indo-European *srew- Proto-Indo-European *sréweti Proto-Hellenic *hréwō Ancient Greek ῥέω (rhéō) English rheo- English -stat English rheostat From rheo- (prefix meaning ‘current; flow’) + -stat (suffix forming the names of scientific instruments which render the prefixed elements static or stationary in some respect), coined by the English physicist and inventor Charles Wheatstone (1802–1875) in an 1843 journal article: see the quotation. * Rheo- is derived from Ancient Greek ῥέω (rhéō, “to flow, stream”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow, stream”), possibly from *ser- (“to flow”). * -Stat is derived from Ancient Greek -στάτης (-státēs), from ῐ̔́στημῐ (hĭ́stēmĭ, “to stand; to stop”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh2- (“to stand (up)”).
Across languages
Translations
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
реоста́т
(reostát)
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Chinese Mandarin:
變阻器 /变阻器
(biànzǔqì)
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Crimean Tatar:
reostat
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Czech:
reostat
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Czech:
potenciometr
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Dutch:
reostaat
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Dutch:
regelweerstand
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Finnish:
reostaatti
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Finnish:
säätövastus
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
French:
rhéostat
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
French:
potentiomètre
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Georgian:
რეოსტატი
(reosṭaṭi)
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
German:
Rheostat
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
German:
Widerstand
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Italian:
reostato
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Italian:
potenziometro
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Japanese:
可変抵抗器
(kahen teikōki)
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Polish:
reostat
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Romanian:
reostat
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Russian:
реоста́т
(reostát)
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Spanish:
reostato
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Spanish:
reóstato
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Vietnamese:
biến trở
— electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current
Finnish:
säädin
— notional device which causes some quality to vary
Finnish:
säätölaite
— notional device which causes some quality to vary
