What does "ampacity" mean?

The root mean square of the electrical current which a device (usually a wire) can carry within a specific environment (including temperature rating, power loss, heat dissipation, etc.) It is measured in amperes (amps) and is most often used to rate electrical wires and cables.

Ampacity

//æmˈpæsɪti// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The root mean square of the electrical current which a device (usually a wire) can carry within a specific environment (including temperature rating, power loss, heat dissipation, etc.) It is measured in amperes (amps) and is most often used to rate electrical wires and cables. countable, uncountable

Etymology

Blend of ampere + capacity.

Related phrases

electrical current

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.