destructor

[ dih-struhk-ter ]

/ dɪˈstrʌk tər /

British. a furnace for the burning of refuse; incinerator.

Rocketry. a destruct mechanism or device for destroying an off-course airborne missile or launch vehicle.

Origin of destructor

1685–95; < Late Latin dēstructor, equivalent to Latin dēstruc- variant stem of dēstruere (see destruction) + -tor -tor

The municipal garbage plant (destructor) collects and reduces to fertilizer 100 tons of garbage per day.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 |Various
Various forms of patent movable fire-bars have been employed 108 in destructor furnaces.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 |Various
I've got everything down there, and I've put the lid on the destructor to keep the wet out.'

A Diversity of Creatures |Rudyard Kipling
The Hessian fly (Cecidomyia destructor) has two broods, the fly appearing both in spring and autumn.

Our Common Insects |Alpheus Spring Packard

The general arrangement of the destructor patented1 by Alfred Fryer in 1876 is illustrated in fig. 1.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 |Various

destructor

/ (dɪˈstrʌktə) /

a furnace or incinerator for the disposal of refuse, esp one that uses the resulting heat to generate power

a device used to blow up a dangerously defective missile or rocket after launching