Definition
The positive electrode in an electrical device such as a battery, vacuum tube, or electrolytic cell. In a battery being discharged, the anode is the terminal where conventional current flows out into the external circuit; in an electron tube, it is the plate that attracts electrons emitted from the cathode.
Plain English
The positive end of an electrical part. It's the side that pulls electrons toward it inside the device.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft electrical-system descriptions, battery servicing information, wiring diagrams, and some maintenance manuals.
Derivation
From the Greek 'anodos,' meaning 'a way up' (ana = up, hodos = way). Early electrical researchers pictured current as flowing 'up' into the device through this terminal, which is how the positive electrode got its name.
Why Pilots Care
Aircraft batteries depend on properly functioning anodes for reliable starting power and electrical system operation.
Intuition Check
Do not read anode as “always positive.” In many electronic parts it is positive, but in a discharging battery it is negative.
Example Sentence 1
The technician checked for corrosion around the anode of the aircraft battery before reinstalling it.
Example Sentence 2
Sacrificial anodes on the float struts prevented corrosion from stray electrical currents in the water.