ventilator
noun/ˈvɛntɪleɪtə/
Etymology From ventilate + -or; cf. Latin ventilator.
1
A device that circulates fresh air and expels stale or noxious air.
2
Medicine, Sciences A machine that moves breathable air into and out of the lungs of a patient who is unable to breathe sufficiently.
- Near-synonym: respirator
3
Figuratively Some behaviour or happening that relieves a tense atmosphere or situation.
- A lover's quarrel is made up of jealousies, doubts, hopes, fears, and all sorts of fantastic fancies: a matrimonial dispute, on the contrary, is composed of familiar and ordinary matter, a sort of ventilator to the temper!1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “An Act of Parliament”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 188:
- Derived terms
- screw ventilator, tank ventilator