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catalytic converter

noun

an antipollution device in an automotive exhaust system that contains a catalyst for chemically converting some pollutants in the exhaust gases, as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen, into harmless compounds.

Nearby words

  1. catalufa,
  2. catalyse,
  3. catalysis,
  4. catalyst,
  5. catalytic,
  6. catalytic cracker,
  7. catalytic cracking,
  8. catalyze,
  9. catamaran,
  10. catamarca

Origin of catalytic converter

First recorded in 1960–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for catalytic converter

catalytic converter

noun

a device using three-way catalysts to reduce the obnoxious and poisonous components of the products of combustion (mainly oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and unburnt hydrocarbons) from the exhausts of motor vehiclesSometimes shortened to: catcon
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012