initiator

See also: Initiator

English

Etymology

From initiate +‎ -or.

Noun

initiator (plural initiators)

  1. One who initiates.
  2. (chemistry) A substance that initiates a chain reaction or polymerization.
  3. (military) A component of a nuclear weapon that produces a burst of neutrons to start the chain reaction.
    • 1984, Frederick Forsyth, The Fourth Protocol, London: Hutchinson, →ISBN, page 301:
      ‘This, er, initiator of polonium and lithium, would it be used in an anti-personnel bomb?’ he asked. ‘Oh yes, you could say so, boyo,’ replied the Welshman. ‘An initiator, you see, is what sets off a nuke.’
  4. (computing) A task (in a mainframe computer) that initiates multiple jobs.
  5. (medicine) A material whose presence in the body eventually leads to cancer.
  6. This term needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    • 1981 February 14, David Jernigan, “Mass. Activists Issue Calls For NE Conference”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 4:
      The letter will go to over two hundred activists and organizers, and local initiators hope for representation from all six New England states.

Derived terms

Translations

medicine: material whose presence in the body eventually leads to cancer
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Translations to be checked

Latin

Verb

initiātor

  1. second/third-person singular future passive imperative of initiō

References

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