elevator

American  

[el-uh-vey-ter] / ˈɛl əˌveɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that elevates or raises.

2. a moving platform or cage for carrying passengers or freight from one level to another, as in a building.

3. any of various mechanical devices for raising objects or materials.

4. a building in which grain is stored and handled by means of mechanical elevator and conveyor devices.

5. Aeronautics. a hinged horizontal surface on an airplane or the like, used to control the longitudinal inclination and usually placed at the tail end of the fuselage.

6. elevator shoe.

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elevator British  

/ ˈɛlɪˌveɪtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that elevates

2. a mechanical hoist for raising something, esp grain or coal, often consisting of a chain of scoops linked together on a conveyor belt

3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): lift.  a platform, compartment, or cage raised or lowered in a vertical shaft to transport persons or goods in a building

4. a large granary equipped with an elevator and, usually, facilities for cleaning and grading the grain

5. any muscle that raises a part of the body

6. a surgical instrument for lifting a part of the body

7. a control surface on the tailplane of an aircraft, for making it climb or descend

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Etymology

Origin of elevator

1640–50; < Late Latin ēlevātor, equivalent to ēlevā ( re ) ( elevate ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Six years later it was back in action as a visitor attraction with an elevator installed, strengthened walkways and an exhibition charting the town's shipbuilding past.

From BBC

“You find walls built in factories, you see elevators, you see escalators,” said Smith.

From Los Angeles Times

First impressions had me doubting my decision: Unfinished plywood lined the cramped elevator and my room—a snug, white space-age capsule—looked like it had emerged from a 3-D printer.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jonathan’s stomach rose into his throat, the way it sometimes did on a fast elevator.

From Literature

Her nagging conscience slips into offhand conversation: “I should probably be vegan,” Askell, an animal lover too busy for a pet, says when chatting in an office elevator.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• escalator