Imploder

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An entity that causes collapse or inward movement under pressure or force
2. A mechanism designed to compress or condense materials together, resulting in a collapse inwardly
3. A term used to describe an event or process that results in a sudden inward failure or decrease in volume

Etymology: "Imploder" is a plain formation: the verb "implode" with the agent suffix "-er" added, giving a noun for something that implodes. "Implode" itself was coined by analogy with "explode", swapping the outward prefix "ex-" for the inward "im-" (from Latin "in", "into"). The verb's meaning, to burst inward, came first, and the noun simply names whatever performs that action. The pattern is a familiar one in English. Words built on "-er" often name a doer or a device, so an "imploder" can be a person, a mechanism or a substance that collapses inward. The word is most often met in technical contexts, such as describing devices that compress material toward a centre.

Synonyms: collapser, cave-in agent