accelerator

/əkˈsɛləˌreɪtər/
noun
  1. The pedal in a vehicle that controls the engine's speed; the gas pedal.
    • She pressed the accelerator to merge onto the highway.
    • The car's accelerator stuck, so he had to brake hard.
    • Take your foot off the accelerator when you see the red light ahead.
  2. A device or machine that increases the speed or rate of something, especially a particle accelerator in physics.
    • A linear accelerator is used in some cancer treatments.
    • Scientists use a particle accelerator to study the building blocks of matter.
    • The new business accelerator helps startups grow quickly.
  3. A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction; a catalyst.
    • Some glues contain an accelerator to help them set quickly.
    • The chemist added an accelerator to make the reaction happen faster.
    • Rubber production often uses an accelerator to speed up vulcanization.
What does "accelerator" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean