[¦ziŋk ¦al·kə‚līn ¦maŋ·gə‚nēs dī′äk‚sīd ‚bad·ə·rē] (electricity) The most widely used primary battery, with an anode consisting of zinc powder, an electrolyte consisting of an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide, and a cathode consisting of a blend of electrolytic manganese dioxide and graphite.