Carburetor

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑːb(j)əˌɹɛtə/

Definitions

1. A critical mechanism that prepares a mixture of air and fuel for combustion in engines
2. An important apparatus that combines fuel and air to facilitate effective combustion within an engine
3. A mechanical component designed to blend air and fuel to support engine operation

Etymology: The carburetor takes its name from "carburet," a verb meaning to enrich a gas with carbon-rich fuel. In the 1800s, "carburet" was used for treating illuminating gas, the coal gas that lit streetlamps and homes. Adding volatile hydrocarbon vapours made the gas burn brighter, and the device or process that did this was called a carburettor. The term was in use by 1862, long before anyone was fitting one to an engine. The "-or" ending is the familiar agent suffix, marking something that performs an action, much like "generator" or "radiator." Its original job was exactly that: a machine that carbureted gas. The chemistry underneath is the same one that powers the engine version, since both mix a light, carbon-rich fuel with air so it can burn readily. The word moved to the motor vehicle in the 1890s, when engine designers needed a device to vaporise petrol and mix it with air. Its sense of enriching a gas with carbon was thus carried over into the internal combustion engine, where the same principle applied to a new kind of fuel.

Synonyms: carburettor