# Townsend discharge

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A gas ionization process where free electrons, accelerated by a sufficiently strong electric field, give rise to electrical conduction through a gas by avalanche multiplication caused by the ionization of molecules by ion impact.

## Etymology
Named after John Sealy Townsend, who discovered the fundamental mechanism.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/townsend-discharge