Carbonator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device that adds carbon dioxide gas to liquids, typically to produce sparkling or fizzy beverages; an apparatus used in beverage production to infuse carbonation; equipment designed to dissolve carbon dioxide into liquids for effervescence
2. An instrument used for infusing drinks with carbon dioxide to create bubbles and fizzy texture; a machine that introduces gaseous carbon dioxide into water or other liquids; a unit that enhances liquids by incorporating carbon dioxide for sparkling effects
3. A tool or system which injects carbon dioxide into liquids to produce carbonation in drinks; a mechanism that enables the creation of bubbly beverages by dissolving CO2; a piece of equipment used in the beverage industry for making drinks effervescent through gas infusion

Etymology: "Carbonator" is a plain formation: it takes "carbonate," the salt of carbonic acid, and adds the agent suffix "-or," meaning a device or agent that performs an action. A carbonator is therefore the thing that carbonates, the machine that charges a liquid with carbon dioxide, most familiar in soda makers and bar equipment. The chain runs through chemistry before reaching the kitchen. "Carbonate" is built on "carbon," and the carbon in it refers to the element's oxide, the gas that gives fizz. Once the gas was understood to dissolve under pressure, the verb "to carbonate" came to mean forcing carbon dioxide into a drink, and the device that did the forcing needed its own name. The suffix "-or" is the same ending found in words like "generator" and "accelerator," which is why the word reads as a piece of equipment rather than a substance.

Synonyms: carbonating machine, soda maker, sparkling water maker, carbon dioxide injector