NOS Electrical Abbreviation

Also known as: nos.

NOS has various meanings in the Electrical category. Discover the full forms, definitions, and usage contexts of NOS in Electrical.

Numbers

Most Common

In the electrical field, NOS is sometimes used as a short form of "numbers", meaning the quantity of items. It comes from the way we abbreviate the word “number” as “No.”, such as in “No. 1” or “No. 2”. In documents like product lists or invoices, you might see “5 Nos.” to mean "5 pieces" or "5 units" of something.

However, in native English, people don’t usually say “Nos.” as a plural. It feels a bit old-fashioned or unusual. The word “No.” comes from the Latin/Italian/Spanish word “Numero”, and entered English many years ago. Even though "Nos." is used in engineering or product orders, native speakers often just use “pcs” or “qty” (quantity) instead.

Electrical
Normally Open Switch

NOS stands for Normally Open Switch. It is a type of switch used in electrical systems. When the switch is in its normal position (not pressed or not activated), the circuit is open, so no electricity flows. When the switch is pressed or turned on, it closes the circuit and allows the electricity to pass through.

This kind of switch is common in buttons, machines, and control panels. For example, when you press a doorbell, the switch closes the circuit only while your finger is on the button. After you release it, the circuit opens again. This makes NOS useful for short and controlled actions.

Electrical

How is NOS used in Electrical?

  • The list says 5 Nos. of circuit breakers are needed for the panel.
  • The emergency stop button is a NOS that only activates the circuit when pressed.

Citation

Last updated: