TL;DR
An electrical pigtail is a short length of wire spliced to two or more circuit conductors in a box so that a single lead lands on a device terminal, instead of feeding through the device itself. Pigtailing keeps downstream outlets alive if one receptacle fails, is required where more than one wire would otherwise land on a screw, and is the approved method for connecting old aluminum branch wiring to copper-rated devices using special connectors.
What it means
An electrical pigtail is a short length of wire spliced to two or more circuit conductors in a box so that a single lead lands on a device terminal, instead of feeding through the device itself. Pigtailing keeps downstream outlets alive if one receptacle fails, is required where more than one wire would otherwise land on a screw, and is the approved method for connecting old aluminum branch wiring to copper-rated devices using special connectors. Electricians also pigtail grounds so every device and the box share one bond.
Where it sits in the glossary
Electrical pigtail is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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