ACCELERATOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does accelerator mean? 

• ACCELERATOR (noun)
  The noun ACCELERATOR has 4 senses:

1. a pedal that controls the throttle valve

2. a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine

3. (chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected

4. a scientific instrument that increases the kinetic energy of charged particles

  Familiarity information: ACCELERATOR used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ACCELERATOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A pedal that controls the throttle valve

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

accelerator; accelerator pedal; gas; gas pedal; gun; throttle

Context example:

he stepped on the gas

Hypernyms ("accelerator" is a kind of...):

foot lever; foot pedal; pedal; treadle (a lever that is operated with the foot)

Holonyms ("accelerator" is a part of...):

aeroplane; airplane; plane (an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets)

auto; automobile; car; machine; motorcar (a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine)

Derivation:

accelerate (cause to move faster)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

accelerator; throttle; throttle valve

Hypernyms ("accelerator" is a kind of...):

valve (control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid)

Holonyms ("accelerator" is a part of...):

fuel system (equipment in a motor vehicle or aircraft that delivers fuel to the engine)

Derivation:

accelerate (cause to move faster)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

accelerator; catalyst

Hypernyms ("accelerator" is a kind of...):

activator ((biology) any agency bringing about activation; a molecule that increases the activity of an enzyme or a protein that increases the production of a gene product in DNA transcription)

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "accelerator"):

biocatalyst (a biochemical catalyst such as an enzyme)

enzyme (any of several complex proteins that are produced by cells and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions)

platinum black (a fine black powder of platinum; used as a catalyst in chemical reactions)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A scientific instrument that increases the kinetic energy of charged particles

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

accelerator; atom smasher; particle accelerator

Hypernyms ("accelerator" is a kind of...):

scientific instrument (an instrument used by scientists)

Meronyms (parts of "accelerator"):

storage ring (container consisting of a set of magnets set in a doughnut-shaped ring around which charged particles from an accelerator can be kept circulating until they are used)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "accelerator"):

betatron; induction accelerator (accelerates a continuous beam of electrons to high speeds by means of the electric field produced by changing magnetic flux)

charge-exchange accelerator (an accelerator in which high-energy ions escape from plasma following charge exchange)

Cockcroft-Walton accelerator; Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier; Cockcroft and Walton accelerator; Cockcroft and Walton voltage multiplier (a high-voltage machine in which rectifiers charge capacitors that discharge and drive charged particles through an accelerating tube)

collider (an accelerator in which two beams of particles are forced to collide head on)

cyclotron (an accelerator that imparts energies of several million electron-volts to rapidly moving particles)

linac; linear accelerator (ions are accelerated along a linear path by voltage differences on electrodes along the path)

 Context examples 

Also called linear accelerator, mega-voltage linear accelerator, and MeV linear accelerator.

(Linac, NCI Dictionary)

Ethylene thiourea is mainly used as an accelerator in the production of rubber, and in the manufacture of ethylene bisdithiocarbamate pesticides.

(Ethylene Thiourea, NCI Thesaurus)

Also called linac, mega-voltage linear accelerator, and MeV linear accelerator.

(Linear accelerator, NCI Dictionary)

Also called linac, linear accelerator, and MeV linear accelerator.

(Mega-voltage linear accelerator, NCI Dictionary)

A unit of measure of ionization in a linear accelerator treatment beam within the treatment head.

(Monitor Unit, NCI Thesaurus)

Also called linac, linear accelerator, and mega-voltage linear accelerator.

(MeV linear accelerator, NCI Dictionary)

A type of radiation therapy that uses x-rays or gamma rays that come from a special machine called a linear accelerator (linac).

(Electron Beam Therapy, NCI Dictionary)

A member of the class of particle accelerator devices in which charged particles are accelerated electrically to high speeds while kept confined in a circular path by a strong electromagnet.

(Cyclotron, NCI Thesaurus)

Electrons and ions slam into the moon's surface with the intensity of a particle accelerator.

(NASA Research Reveals Europa's Mystery Dark Material Could Be Sea Salt, NASA)

Stimulators, on the other hand, serve the accelerator function, improving immune responses against cancer.

(Immune Stimulant Molecule Protects against Cancer Development, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)