percolator

American  

[pur-kuh-ley-ter] / ˈpɜr kəˌleɪ tər /

noun

1. a kind of coffeepot in which boiling water in a repeated process is forced up a hollow stem, filters down through ground coffee in a sievelike container, and returns to the pot below.

2. something that percolates.

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percolator British  

/ ˈpɜːkəˌleɪtə /

noun

1. a kind of coffeepot in which boiling water is forced up through a tube and filters down through the coffee grounds into a container

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Etymology

Origin of percolator

First recorded in 1835–45; percolate + -or ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

percolator

In one scene, when Jackie is feeling trapped, the editing splices in an insert of a boiling coffee percolator and an old news clip of the Berlin Wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

If your pipe has a network of small winding tubes inside the main piece, that is a percolator.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2022

We may not be renowned, but Minneapolis’s history as a percolator of brilliance runs deep.

From Salon ● May 8, 2019

I roll out of bed, maybe have a shave if I’m looking particularly grizzled, and then wander over to the campfire, where a percolator full of coffee is waiting.

From The Verge ● Oct. 25, 2018

There’s a pot with porridge in it, Red River cereal or oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, and a glass coffee percolator.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood