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short' cir'cuit — Elect. Elect.
an abnormal, usually unintentional condition of relatively low resistance between two points of different potential in a circuit, usually resulting in a flow of excess current. short-cir•cuit Pronunciation: (shôrt"sûr'kit), [key] — v.t.
to make (an appliance, switch, etc.) inoperable by establishing a short circuit in. to carry (a current) as a short circuit. to bypass, impede, hinder, or frustrate: Bad weather short-circuited my vacation plans. —v.i. to form a short circuit or become inoperable due to a short circuit. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.