accelerator

American  

[ak-sel-uh-rey-ter] / ækˈsɛl əˌreɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that accelerates.

2. Automotive. a device, usually operated by the foot, for controlling the speed of an engine.

3. British. any two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle, as a motorcycle or motor scooter.

4. Photography. a chemical, usually an alkali, added to a developer to increase the rate of development.

5. Also called accelerant.  Chemistry. any substance that increases the speed of a chemical change, as one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber or that hastens the setting of concrete, mortar, plaster, or the like.

6. Anatomy, Physiology. any muscle, nerve, or activating substance that quickens a movement.

7. Also called particle accelerator.  Also called atom smasher.  Physics. an electrostatic or electromagnetic device, as a cyclotron, that produces high-energy particles and focuses them on a target.

8. Economics. acceleration coefficient.

9. Business. an enterprise that provides investment funding and short, fixed-duration mentoring and education programs to a select group of startups that apply for this, including access to networking, strategy coaching, collaborative workspace, etc.

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accelerator British  

/ ækˈsɛləˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a device for increasing speed, esp a pedal for controlling the fuel intake in a motor vehicle; throttle

2. Also called (not in technical usage): atom smasher.  physics a machine for increasing the kinetic energy of subatomic particles or atomic nuclei and focusing them on a target

3. chem a substance that increases the speed of a chemical reaction, esp one that increases the rate of vulcanization of rubber, the rate of development in photography, the rate of setting of synthetic resins, or the rate of setting of concrete; catalyst

4. economics (in an economy) the relationship between the rate of change in output or sales and the consequent change in the level of investment

5. anatomy a muscle or nerve that increases the rate of a function

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Etymology

Origin of accelerator

First recorded in 1605–15 and in 1930–35 accelerator for def. 7; accelerate + -or ²

Example Sentences

These trends include specialized artificial intelligence, where management targets special-purpose accelerators tailored for markets like medical and finance for differentiation, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her model “reflects explosive growth in HBM bits by AI accelerator companies” that need advanced memory to support larger, more complex AI models, she said.

From MarketWatch

Tomás put the truck into gear and stepped on the accelerator.

From Literature

Still, if the Super Bowl is the “ultimate trend accelerator,” as Florida-based marketing professional Craig Agranoff put it, that doesn’t mean the trend always comes to full fruition — or at least, not overnight.

From MarketWatch

Still, if the Super Bowl is the “ultimate trend accelerator,” as Florida-based marketing professional Craig Agranoff put it, that doesn’t mean the trend always comes to full fruition — or at least, not overnight.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• particle accelerator