Fumigators

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of equipment or agent used to apply smoke or vapor for disinfection or pest control of an area
2. Devices or chemical substances employed to eliminate pests or pathogens through the release of gas or heated vapor
3. Tools or contaminants specifically designed to spread chemicals in gaseous form for sterilization or insect eradication purposes

Etymology: The plural "fumigators" simply pluralises "fumigator," which is a straightforward formation: the verb "fumigate" with the agent suffix "-or" added to name the thing that does the fumigating. The verb "fumigate" comes from Latin "fumigare," meaning to smoke or make smoky, built from "fumus" (smoke) and "agere" (to drive or do). Over time the sense shifted from producing smoke to filling a space with fumes that kill pests or germs. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the word itself. "-or" traces back through Latin "-tor," which named agents, and reaches Proto-Indo-European roots, passing through Old French and Middle English before settling into modern English as the regular ending for tools and people who perform an action. Words built this way are common, so the ending adds little beyond identifying the object as a performer of the verb.

Synonyms: disinfectants, pesticides, deodorants