high-wattage
|high-watt-age|
🇺🇸
/haɪ ˈwɑtɪdʒ/
🇬🇧
/haɪ ˈwɒtɪdʒ/
very powerful; attention-grabbing
Etymology
'high-wattage' originates from modern English, a compound of 'high' and 'wattage', where 'watt' commemorates the name of engineer James Watt and '‑age' forms a noun indicating quantity or measurement.
'wattage' developed from the unit name 'watt' (coined in the 19th century) plus the productive suffix '-age'; the compound 'high-wattage' arose in 20th-century English to describe high electrical power and later extended figuratively.
Initially it meant 'having a large electrical power (many watts)', but over time it has also come to mean 'very powerful or attention-grabbing' in a figurative sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having a large electrical power rating; producing or designed to use a high number of watts (literal, technical use).
The lab replaced the old bulb with a high-wattage lamp to meet the experiment's power needs.
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Adjective 2
figurative: Very powerful, attention-grabbing, or high-profile (often used of performances, personalities, media events).
The host delivered a high-wattage performance that dominated the headlines.
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Last updated: 2025/09/05 01:10