reactor

[ ree-ak-ter ]
/ riˈæk tər /

noun

a person or thing that reacts or undergoes reaction.
Electricity. a device whose primary purpose is to introduce reactance into a circuit.
Immunology, Veterinary Medicine. a patient or animal that reacts positively towards a foreign material.
Also called atomic pile, chain reactor, chain-reacting pile, nuclear reactor, pile. Physics. an apparatus in which a nuclear-fission chain reaction can be initiated, sustained, and controlled, for generating heat or producing useful radiation.
Chemistry. (especially in industry) a large container, as a vat, for processes in which the substances involved undergo a chemical reaction.

Origin of reactor

1885–90; 1940–45 for def 4; react + -or2

OTHER WORDS FROM reactor

non·re·ac·tor, noun

Example sentences from the Web for reactor

British Dictionary definitions for reactor

reactor
/ (rɪˈæktə) /

noun

chem a substance, such as a reagent, that undergoes a reaction
short for nuclear reactor
a vessel, esp one in industrial use, in which a chemical reaction takes place
a coil of low resistance and high inductance that introduces reactance into a circuit
med a person sensitive to a particular drug or agent