carrier

Etymology

carry + -er

noun

1. A person or object that carries someone or something else.
   armored personnel carrier
   In fleet combat, carriers stay clear of battle, launching fighters bearing disruptor torpedoes. Fighters are the primary striking power of the ship; if a carrier enters mass accelerator range of the enemy, things have gone very wrong. It is possible to recover and rearm fighters during combat, though most carriers seal the flight deck and try to stay out of the way. The flight deck is essentially a corridor through the armor and into the heart of the vessel. A single well-placed torpedo is enough to gut a carrier. Alliance carriers are named after great leaders, artists, and intellectuals from human history. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Starships: Carriers Codex entry
   1. Ellipsis of aircraft carrier.
2. A carrier pigeon.
3. A person or company in the business of shipping freight.
   The roads [are] crowded with carriers, laden with rich manufactures. 1727, Jonathan Swift, A Short View of the State of Ireland
4. A signal such as radio, sound, or light that is modulated to transmit information.
5. (telecommunications) A mobile network operator; wireless carrier.
6. (aviation) A certified airline.
   Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, is installing seats with less cushion and thinner materials — a svelte model known in the business as “slim-line.” Dec 22 2013, Jad Mouawad, Martha C. White, New York Times, retrieved 2013-12-23
7. (engineering) That which drives or carries.
   1. A piece which communicates to an object in a lathe the motion of the faceplate; a lathe dog.
   2. A spool holder or bobbin holder in a braiding machine.
   3. A movable piece in magazine guns which transfers the cartridge to a position from which it can be thrust into the barrel.
   4. A movable piece in a planetary gear train.
8. (chemistry) A catalyst or other intermediary in a chemical reaction.
9. (genetics, pathology) A person or other organism that has a genetic trait, mutation or infection liable to cause a disease, but displays no symptoms.
10. (physics, electronics) A charge carrier.
11. (art, manufacturing) A liquid or gas used as a medium for another substance.
    linseed oil used as the carrier for pigment in oil painting
    inert carrier gas, which transports a chemical reactant