Converter

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈvɜːtə/

Definitions

1. A mechanism or software that changes the format of data, energy, or materials into another type for usability
2. A device or application that transforms one type of energy, data, or material into another type for practical use
3. An instrument or program designed to alter the form or type of input into a different output format for functional purposes

Etymology: The word "converter" is about as plain as English etymology gets: it is the verb "convert" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so it names a thing that converts. The verb itself came into English through Middle English "converten," borrowed from Old French "convertir," which goes back to Latin "convertere," meaning to turn around or turn about. The Latin root is built from "com-," meaning together or thoroughly, and "vertere," to turn, so the basic image is of turning something fully from one state to another. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the verb. The "-er" ending descends from Latin "-arius," which denoted a person or thing connected with an activity, and it reached English through Old French "-ier" and Middle English "-er," with Old English "-ere" as an earlier form. That is why English can attach it freely to almost any verb to name a doer or a device.

Synonyms: transformer, adapter