reactor

[ree-ak-ter]

noun

1. a person or thing that reacts or undergoes reaction.

2. Electricity.,  a device whose primary purpose is to introduce reactance into a circuit.

3. Immunology, Veterinary Medicine.,  a patient or animal that reacts positively towards a foreign material.

4. Physics.,  nuclear reactor.

5. Chemistry.,  (especially in industry) a large container, as a vat, for processes in which the substances involved undergo a chemical reaction.

reactor

/ rɪˈæktə /

noun

1. chem a substance, such as a reagent, that undergoes a reaction

2. short for nuclear reactor

3. a vessel, esp one in industrial use, in which a chemical reaction takes place

4. a coil of low resistance and high inductance that introduces reactance into a circuit

5. med a person sensitive to a particular drug or agent

Other Word Forms

• nonreactor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reactor¹

First recorded in 1885–90; 1940–45 reactor for def. 4; react + -or ²

Example Sentences

If approved, it would be the first time Tepco is allowed to recommence nuclear reactor operations in Japan since its Fukushima plant went into meltdown following a tsunami.

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Power company Kansai Electric said in July it was taking an initial step towards building the nation's first new nuclear reactor since the Fukushima disaster.

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The reactor sits adjacent to Three Mile Island Unit 2, which suffered a partial core meltdown in 1979 and immediately ceased operations.

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The deal calls for Constellation to revive the plant’s undamaged reactor, which was too costly to run and closed in 2019.

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Seventeen stocks across utilities, reactor suppliers, service providers, and fuel companies are highlighted as potential beneficiaries of nuclear trends.

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