accelerator
(ak sel′ər āt′ər, -ə rāt′-; ək-)
noun
- a person or thing that accelerates or increases the speed of something; specif.,
- a device, such as the foot throttle of an automobile, for increasing the speed of a machine
- a nerve or muscle that speeds up a body function
- Chem. a substance that speeds up a reaction
- Nuclear Physics a betatron, cyclotron, synchrotron, linear accelerator, or similar apparatus that accelerates charged particles to high energies: accelerators are used for experimental purposes
- Photog. a chemical that speeds up developing
See accelerator in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun- A device, especially the gas pedal of a motor vehicle, for increasing speed.
- Chemistry A substance that increases the speed of a reaction.
- Physics A particle accelerator.
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