rheostat Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun resistor for regulating current
    variable resistor.

WordNet

Rhe"o*stat noun
Etymology
Gr. + standing still.
Definitions
  1. (Elec.) A contrivance for adjusting or regulating the strength of electrical currents, operating usually by the intercalation of resistance which can be varied at will. Wheatstone. --Rhe`o*stat"ic a.

Webster 1913