fuse
ヒューズ
解説 Definition
ヒューズという意味です。電流が流れすぎたときに回路を守る部品を指し、日本語の「ヒューズ」とほぼ同じ意味で使われます。
A fuse is a safety device in an electrical circuit that contains a component designed to melt and interrupt the current when it becomes dangerously high, thereby protecting equipment and wiring from damage.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
電気の fuse は、過大な電流が流れると内部の金属部分が溶け、回路を切って機器を守る部品です。ラテン語の「溶かす」に通じるため、「溶けて遮断する安全部品」と覚えます。blow a fuse「ヒューズが飛ぶ」、replace a fuse「交換する」が典型表現です。
Think of an electrical fuse as a safety part that “melts to protect.” If too much current passes through a circuit, the fuse element melts and breaks the circuit before the wiring or machine is seriously damaged. This physical action also connects well with the word’s historical association with melting. Learn it in common combinations: a fuse blows, someone replaces a fuse, and a fuse protects a circuit. Do not confuse this noun with the verb fuse, which means to join or melt things together.
例文
The fuse broke during the storm.
嵐の間にヒューズが切れました。
Please replace the fuse before using the machine.
その機械を使う前にヒューズを交換してください。
A small fuse protects this electrical circuit.
小さなヒューズがこの電気回路を保護しています。
fuse の語源・成り立ち Etymology
fuse はラテン語 fundere「注ぐ・溶かす」の過去分詞 fusus にさかのぼり、英語では「溶けて一体になる」が核です。名詞のヒューズは、過電流で中の線が溶けて回路を切る部品なので、この語源どおりの名前です。関連語は fusion, transfuse。
Fuse is ultimately related to Latin fundere, meaning “to pour” or “melt,” and its past participle fusus. The electrical noun was applied to a device containing material that melts when excessive current passes through it, thereby opening the circuit. The same historical idea of melting or joining appears in words such as fusion, although their modern meanings and uses differ.
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