catalyst

/ˈkætəlɪst/
noun
  1. A person or event that causes an important change to happen.
    • Her speech acted as a catalyst, inspiring the team to work harder.
    • The protest was a catalyst for new laws on environmental protection.
    • The invention of the internet was a catalyst for global communication.
  2. A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being changed itself.
    • Enzymes are natural catalysts that help digest food in your body.
    • Adding a catalyst to the mixture made the reaction happen much faster.
    • In the lab, platinum is often used as a catalyst to speed up reactions.
What does "catalyst" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean