Accelerator - Dictionary Definition and Overview

Accelerator : (noun)
1: a pedal that controls the throttle valve; "he stepped on the gas" [syn: accelerator pedal, gas pedal, gas, throttle, gun]
2: a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine [syn: throttle, throttle valve]
3: (chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected [syn: catalyst] [ant: anticatalyst]
4: a scientific instrument that increases the kinetic energy of charged particles [syn: particle accelerator, atom smasher]

Based on WordNet 2.0

Accelerator : \Ac*cel"er*a`tor\, n. One who, or that which, accelerates. Also as an adj.; as, accelerator nerves.

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Accelerator :

Additional hardware to perform some function faster than is possible in software running on the normal CPU. Examples include graphics accelerators and floating-point accelerators.

(1994-11-08)

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)