Simulators

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device or program that mimics the operation of a real-world system or process
2. A virtual environment designed to replicate specific conditions for training or testing purposes
3. A tool used to create realistic scenarios for education, research, or entertainment

Etymology: The plural "simulators" is simply the plural of "simulator," which is built from the verb "simulate" and the agent suffix "-or," meaning something that performs an action. So a simulator is, literally, a thing that simulates. The suffix has a long lineage. It descends from a Proto-Indo-European agent marker, passed through Proto-Italic and Latin "-tor" and "-ātor," then through Old French "-eor," before arriving in Middle English as "-our." English later settled on the spelling "-or," and the same ending appears in words like "actor," "operator," and "computer." The verb "simulate" is the more interesting half of the story. It comes from Latin "simulare," to pretend or imitate, and the older sense of "simulate" was closer to feigning than to modeling. A "simulator" in this sense began as one who pretends. Today the word has shifted toward machinery and software, where a simulator reproduces real conditions, such as a flight simulator, rather than deceiving anyone.

Synonyms: imitators, replicators, mimickers, emulators, modelers