ferra

{ . (Elec.) A form of conductor, designed by Ferranti, for currents of high potential, and consisting of concentric tubes of copper separated by an insulating material composed of paper saturated with black mineral wax. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Elec.) An increase in the ratio of transformation of an alternating current converter, accompanied by other changes in electrical conditions, occurring when the secondary of the converter is connected with a condenser of moderate capacity; -- so called because first observed in connection with the Ferranti cables in London. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A sword bearing the mark of one of the Ferrara family of Italy. These swords were highly esteemed in England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to Ferrara, in Italy. -- n., sing. & pl. A citizen of Ferrara; collectively, the inhabitants of Ferrara. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. Geraldine Anne Ferraro, a United States politician. Born in 1935, she was a congresswoman from New York in the United States Congress from 1978 to 1984, and ran unsuccessfully in 1984 a candidate for Vice President of the United States, with Walter Mondale as the Presidential candidate. She was the first woman to be nominated by a major U. S. political party for the office of Vice President. [ PJC ]

n. [ L. ferraria iron works. See Ferreous. ] The art of working in iron. [ Obs. ] Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]