accelerator
nounUS /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/
Etymology * First attested in 1611. * (motor vehicle): First attested in 1900. * accelerate + -or
11 senses
- 1One who, or that which, accelerates.
- 2A device for causing acceleration.
- 3A substance which speeds up chemical reactions.
- 4A pedal causing the vehicle to accelerate when it is pressed.
- 5A chemical that reduces development time.
- 6A device that accelerates charged subatomic particles; a…
- 7A muscle or nerve that speeds the performance of an action.
- 8An accelerator key.
- 9A computer component using dedicated hardware to…
- 10A light van to take mails between a post office and a…
- 11A mentoring program for startup companies.
One who, or that which, accelerates.
- The Second World War is said to have been a great accelerator for many scientific findings.
A device for causing acceleration.
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A substance which speeds up chemical reactions.
- As soon as you get onto the slipway, push the accelerator.
Arts, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Photography A chemical that reduces development time.
Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics A device that accelerates charged subatomic particles; a particle accelerator.
Medicine, Physiology, Sciences A muscle or nerve that speeds the performance of an action.
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences An accelerator key.
- If they had allowed single-character accelerators, Windows wouldn't be able to determine whether the character was input or a shortcut.2002, Davis Howard Chapman, Sams Teach Yourself Visual C++ .NET in 21 Days, page 187:
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A computer component using dedicated hardware to accelerate the processing and display of graphics.
Historical A light van to take mails between a post office and a railway station.
Business A mentoring program for startup companies.
- In the nineties, before the accelerator era, startups were usually launched by mid-career engineers or repeat entrepreneurs, who sought millions in venture capital and then labored in secret on something complicated that took years to launch.2016 October 3, Tad Friend, “Sam Altman’s Manifest Destiny”, in The New Yorker:
- Synonyms
- gas pedal, gas, throttle, go pedal, particle accelerator, atom smasher
- Derived terms
- accelerator card, a device that speeds up computer processing, accelerator effect, accelerator key, a key which a user can press to activate a menu, other element, accelerator mass spectrometry, accelerator nerves, nerves that speed up a bodily function, accelerator pedal, a pedal used to control a vehicle's speed, antiaccelerator, cardioaccelerator, hit the accelerator, laser-plasma accelerator, particle accelerator, plasma accelerator, plasma wakefield accelerator, preaccelerator