lightning rod

lightning rod

[′līt·niŋ ‚räd]

(electricity)

A metallic rod set up on an exposed elevation of a structure and connected to a low-resistance ground to intercept lightning discharges and to provide a direct conducting path to ground for them.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

lightning conductor, lightning rod

lightning conductor

A metallic cable or rod, running from the highest point on the roof of a building (and insulated from it) to the ground; protects the building, should lightning strike, by providing a direct path to ground.

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lightning rod

A rod-like electrical conductor attached to the highest exterior point of a building; provides a direct electrical path to the ground if lightning strikes the building, furnishing protection against lightning-induced damage; invented in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin, who established that lightning is an electrical phenomenon.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.