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concentrate

[kon-suhn-treyt]
verb (used with object), con·cen·trat·ed, con·cen·trat·ing.
  1. to bring or draw to a common center or point of union; converge; direct toward one point; focus: to concentrate one's attention on a problem; to concentrate the rays of the sun with a lens.
  2. to put or bring into a single place, group, etc.: The nation's wealth had been concentrated in a few families.
  3. to intensify; make denser, stronger, or purer, especially by the removal or reduction of liquid: to concentrate fruit juice; to concentrate a sauce by boiling it down.
  4. Mining. to separate (metal or ore) from rock, sand, etc., so as to improve the quality of the valuable portion.
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verb (used without object), con·cen·trat·ed, con·cen·trat·ing.
  1. to bring all efforts, faculties, activities, etc., to bear on one thing or activity (often followed by on or upon): to concentrate on solving a problem.
  2. to come to or toward a common center; converge; collect: The population concentrated in one part of the city.
  3. to become more intense, stronger, or purer.
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noun
  1. a concentrated form of something; a product of concentration: a juice concentrate.
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Origin of concentrate

1630–40; concentr(ic) + -ate2; compare French concentrer, Italian concentrare
Related formscon·cen·tra·tive [kon-suhn-trey-tiv, kuhn-sen-truh-] /ˈkɒn sənˌtreɪ tɪv, kənˈsɛn trə-/, adjectivecon·cen·tra·tive·ness, nouncon·cen·tra·tor, nounnon·con·cen·tra·tive, adjectivenon·con·cen·tra·tive·ness, nouno·ver·con·cen·trate, verb, o·ver·con·cen·trat·ed, o·ver·con·cen·trat·ing.pre·con·cen·trate, noun, verb, pre·con·cen·trat·ed, pre·con·cen·trat·ing.re·con·cen·trate, verb, re·con·cen·trat·ed, re·con·cen·trat·ing.un·con·cen·tra·tive, adjective

Synonym study

1. See contract.

Antonyms

1. dissipate, disperse. 5. diverge.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for concentrator

Historical Examples

  • It is the province of a concentrator to materialize these possibilities.

    Professor Huskins

    Lettie M. Cummings

  • The vapors from the top of the column pass off to the wash heater or to a concentrator.

  • The concentrator consists of a tank containing water within which is supported a vessel F having double walls.

  • Along in the early 70s he erected the first concentrator in the Rocky mountains284 on the Rumley mine.

    Then and Now

    Robert Vaughn

  • A few minutes ago I decided to reverse my concentrator and aim at a higher goal.

    'Charge It'

    Irving Bacheller

British Dictionary definitions for concentrator

concentrate

verb
  1. to come or cause to come to a single purpose or aimto concentrate one's hopes on winning
  2. to make or become denser or purer by the removal of certain elements, esp the solvent of a solution
  3. (tr) to remove rock or sand from (an ore) to make it purer
  4. (intr often foll by on) to bring one's faculties to bear (on); think intensely (about)
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noun
  1. a concentrated material or solutiontomato concentrate
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Derived Formsconcentrator, noun

Word Origin

C17: back formation from concentration, ultimately from Latin com- same + centrum centre
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

Word Origin and History for concentrator

concentrate

v.

1630s, "to bring or come to a common center," from concenter (1590s), from Italian concentrare, from Latin com- "together" (see com-) + centrum "center" (see center). Meaning "condense" is from 1680s. Sense of "mentally focus" is c.1860. Related: Concentrated; concentrating.

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concentrate

n.

1883, from concentrate (v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper