Survey Reports on the Etymology of the Japanese Word “KEIDENKI” which means a “Electrical Relay” in English

Abstract

Japanese word “KEIDENKI”, which means a electrical relay in English, has used from Meiji era. In French and English dictionary at 1729, a “relais” in French means “a fresh horse” in English. In “Electricity and Magnetism” writing by Fleeming at 1873, a electrical relay means “an instrument which retransmits the original signal from a fresh battery” on the Morse's telegraph. The etymology of the “KEIDENKI” is like as a electric relay, interestingly.

In Japan, Protection Relay is called “RIRE” instead of “KEIDENKI” in recent years. Now, the survey for the word “KEIDENKI” is very important issue for review of Electrotechnical Vocabulary of the Japanese Electrotechnical Commitee.