extender

[ik-sten-der]

noun

1. a substance added to another substance, as to paint or food, to increase its volume or bulk.

   to add cereal and soy protein to hamburger as extenders.

2. Photography.,  converter8

extender

/ ɪkˈstɛndə /

noun

1. a person or thing that extends

2. a substance, such as French chalk or china clay, added to paints to give them body and decrease their rate of settlement

3. a substance added to glues and resins to dilute them or to modify their viscosity

4. a substance added to elastomers to assist the plasticizer

5. printing the part of certain lower-case letters that extends either above (the ascender) or below (the descender) the body of the letter

Word History and Origins

Origin of extender¹

First recorded in 1605–15; extend + -er ¹

Example Sentences

An initial tranche of $10 billion in aid could be part of a short-term continuing resolution to end the government shutdown, with up to another $50 billion—possibly for a wider array of farmers—coming in a farm bill and year-end tax extender later in the year, says Henrietta Treyz, head of economic policy research at Veda Partners.

Read more on Barron's

That stacks onto other concerns of travel including needing a seat belt extender, where to purchase affordable plus-size clothes if luggage is lost, the distance from the airport entrance to the terminal, and seat accessibility on public transportation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Find a duster extender or ladder to make sure you can reach the ceiling and the tops of cabinets and refrigerators.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Squish factor: The off-road Jeep tour didn’t have a seatbelt extender, so I had to sit in the front seat to fit comfortably.

Read more on Salon

“Oh! You can’t sit in an exit row with a seat belt extender!”

Read more on Seattle Times