separator

[sep-uh-rey-ter]

noun

1. a person or thing that separates.

2. any of various apparatus for separating one thing from another, as cream from milk, steam from water, or wheat from chaff.

3. Electricity.,  a device that prevents metal contact between plates of opposite charge in a storage battery.

4. Machinery.,  retainer.

Other Word Forms

• preseparator noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of separator¹

1600–10; < Late Latin sēparātor, equivalent to Latin sēparā ( re ) to separate + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

“Our job is to impact the mental and physical capability of the players. The physical part is much easier. The mental part — emotional stability, consistency — that’s the separator. And trust is everything.”

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“Separation is a big thing that I wanted to work on, and now I’ve got one of the ultimate separators ever,” Whittington said.

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The “how” is broken down into five pillars the team calls separators: communication, block destruction, ball disruption, effort and angles, and tackling.

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A battery consists of two electrodes -- the anode and cathode, typically made of different materials -- as well as a separator and electrolyte, a chemical medium that allows for the flow of electrical charge.

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The PEC uses a pyroelectric composite material, as the separator in an electrochemical cell.

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