accelerator

Etymology

* First attested in 1611. * (motor vehicle): First attested in 1900. * accelerate + -or

noun

1. One who, or that which, accelerates.
   The Second World War is said to have been a great accelerator for many scientific findings.
2. A device for causing acceleration.
3. (chemistry) A substance which speeds up chemical reactions.
4. (vehicles) A pedal causing the vehicle to accelerate when it is pressed.
   As soon as you get onto the slipway, push the accelerator.
5. (photography) A chemical that reduces development time.
6. (physics) A device that accelerates charged subatomic particles; a particle accelerator.
7. (physiology, medicine) A muscle or nerve that speeds the performance of an action.
8. (computing) An accelerator key.
   If they had allowed single-character accelerators, Windows wouldn't be able to determine whether the character was input or a shortcut. 2002, Davis Howard Chapman, Sams Teach Yourself Visual C++ .NET in 21 Days, page 187
9. (computing) A computer component using dedicated hardware to accelerate the processing and display of graphics.
10. (historical) A light van to take mails between a post office and a railway station.
11. (business) A mentoring program for startup companies.
    In the nineties, before the accelerator era, startups were usually launched by mid-career engineers or repeat entrepreneurs, who sought millions in venture capital and then labored in secret on something complicated that took years to launch. 2016-10-03, Tad Friend, “Sam Altman’s Manifest Destiny”, in The New Yorker