cation
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cation
- /ˈkætˌaɪ.ən/
- /ˈkætˌaɪ.ɑn/
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κᾰτῐόν (kătĭón), neuter present participle of κᾰ́τειμῐ (kắteimĭ, “to go down, come down”), from κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-, “downwards, down, cata-”) + εἶμῐ (eîmĭ, “to go, come”). Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year. By surface analysis, cat(a)- + ion.
noun cations · kation
-
A positively charged ion: one that would be attracted to the cathode in electrolysis.
Opposite: anion
Translations
Talk about this word "cation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cation "cation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cation.Cite this
@misc{cation_2026,
title = {cation},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cation},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
