What does ferroelectric mean?
Ferroelectric describes a class of crystalline materials that possess a spontaneous electric polarization — an inherent separation of positive and negative charge — which can be flipped from one orientation to another by applying an external electric field. This property, the electrical analogue of ferromagnetism, allows such materials to switch between stable states, making them valuable in capacitors, sensors, actuators, and non-volatile memory devices. Familiar examples include barium titanate and lead zirconate titanate. The term functions chiefly as an adjective ('a ferroelectric ceramic') but also serves as a noun for the material itself ('a promising ferroelectric'). Despite the prefix suggesting iron, most ferroelectrics contain little or no iron; the name reflects behavioral analogy with ferromagnets rather than composition. Ferroelectric behavior typically appears only below a characteristic temperature called the Curie point, above which the material loses its polar character. It is a specialized term central to condensed-matter physics and modern electronics.
Of or relating to a material exhibiting spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by an applied electric field.
"The device stores data in a thin ferroelectric layer."
Standard in technical and scientific registers.
A substance or material that exhibits ferroelectric properties.
"Rochelle salt was the first known ferroelectric."
Refers to multiple ferroelectric materials or substances; standard in scientific literature.
"Perovskite oxides are among the most important ferroelectrics."
The 'ferro' in ferroelectric has nothing to do with electricity's own history — it was borrowed from iron, simply because ferroelectrics behave like magnets, but with electric charge instead.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ferroelectric
The word combines the prefix 'ferro-', from Latin ferrum meaning iron, with 'electric', ultimately from Greek ēlektron (amber). It was coined in the early twentieth century by analogy with 'ferromagnetic', since ferroelectric materials switchable polarization mirrors how ferromagnets behave magnetically. Related coinages sharing the same root include ferromagnetic, ferric, and ferrous.
Related word forms
How ferroelectric is actually used
Primarily a technical term used in physics, materials science, and electronics engineering; rare outside scientific writing. The prefix 'ferro-' derives from Latin ferrum (iron) via analogy with ferromagnetism, not because iron itself is ferroelectric.
Easily confused with ferroelectric
Ferromagnetic refers to spontaneous magnetization reversible by a magnetic field (as in iron), whereas ferroelectric refers to the electrical analogue — spontaneous polarization reversible by an electric field.