destructor

[ dih-struhk-ter ]

/ dɪˈstrʌk tər /

noun

British. a furnace for the burning of refuse; incinerator.

Rocketry. a destruct mechanism or device for destroying an off-course airborne missile or launch vehicle.

Nearby words

Origin of destructor

1685–95; < Late Latin dēstructor, equivalent to Latin dēstruc- variant stem of dēstruere (see destruction) + -tor -tor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for destructor

The municipal garbage plant (destructor) collects and reduces to fertilizer 100 tons of garbage per day.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5|Various
Various forms of patent movable fire-bars have been employed 108 in destructor furnaces.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2|Various
I've got everything down there, and I've put the lid on the destructor to keep the wet out.'
A Diversity of Creatures|Rudyard Kipling
The Hessian fly (Cecidomyia destructor) has two broods, the fly appearing both in spring and autumn.
Our Common Insects|Alpheus Spring Packard

The general arrangement of the destructor patented1 by Alfred Fryer in 1876 is illustrated in fig. 1.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for destructor

destructor

/ (dɪˈstrʌktə) /

noun

a furnace or incinerator for the disposal of refuse, esp one that uses the resulting heat to generate power

a device used to blow up a dangerously defective missile or rocket after launching

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