Aerator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device used to mix air with liquids or solids to improve their properties
2. A mechanism designed to incorporate air into fluids or solids to enhance their characteristics
3. An apparatus that introduces air into liquids or solids to facilitate processing or improve quality

Etymology: The aerator is a plain, transparent formation: "aerate" with the agent suffix "-or" added to it. The verb "aerate" comes from Latin "aer", meaning air, which Greek "āḗr" also gave to the classical world, so the machine's name is simply the act of putting air into something with a tool built for that purpose. The verb reached English through the Latin "-ātus" ending, which turned "aer" into a verb meaning to supply something with air. The "-or" at the end is the Latin agent ending "-tor", which passed through Old French "-eor" and Middle English "-our" before settling as "-or" in modern English. It marks the thing that performs the action, so an aerator is whatever aerates.

Synonyms: air pump, oxygenator, ventilator