Faraday to Sophia Romilly   11 January 18581

RI | 11 Jany 1858

My dear Mrs Romilly

I think we use the words “to electrify” for “to charge with electricity” though I believe the words “to electrize” is also used[.] Both words are also used to express not merely “charging with” but “treatment with”. I endeavour always to use the phrase “to charge with” when I have that meaning only2[.]

Ever Your faithful Servant | M. Faraday

1
Sophia Romilly, née Marcet (d.1877, age 67, GRO). Daughter of Jane Marcet.
2
Possibly Romilly wanted this clarification for Marcet (1858) where the section on electricity (pp.444-98) was so revised as to be considered “altogether new” (p.vii).

Bibliography

MARCET, Jane (1858): Conversations on Natural Philosophy, 13th edition, London.

Please cite as “Faraday3377,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday3377