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operator

[ op-uh-rey-ter ]
/ ˈɒp əˌreɪ tər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR operator

noun

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
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Origin of operator

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin, equivalent to operā(rī) “to work, effect” (see operate) + Latin -tor noun suffix (see -tor)

OTHER WORDS FROM operator

pre·op·er·a·tor, nounself-op·er·a·tor, noun

Words nearby operator

Operation Sealion, operations research, operations room, operative, operatize, operator, operator gene, operatory, opera window, opercle, operculate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to operator

driver, engineer, administrator, executive, supervisor, speculator, manager, dealer, agent, broker, operative, director, fraud, scoundrel, hustler, conductor, operant

Example sentences from the Web for operator

British Dictionary definitions for operator

operator
/ (ˈɒpəˌreɪtə) /

noun

a person who operates a machine, instrument, etc, esp, a person who makes connections on a telephone switchboard or at an exchange
a person who owns or operates an industrial or commercial establishment
a speculator, esp one who operates on currency or stock markets
informal a person who manipulates affairs and other people
maths any symbol, term, letter, etc, used to indicate or express a specific operation or process, such as Δ (the differential operator)
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

Medical definitions for operator

operator
[ ŏp′ə-rā′tər ]

n.

An operator gene.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for operator

operator
[ ŏp′ə-rā′tər ]

Mathematics A function, especially one from a set to itself, such as differentiation of a differentiable function or rotation of a vector. In quantum mechanics, measurable quantities of a physical system, such as position and momentum, are related to unique operators applied to the wave equation describing the system.
A logical operator.
Genetics A segment of chromosomal DNA that regulates the activity of the structural genes of an operon by interacting with a specific repressor.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.