generator

Etymology

From Latin, from past participle of genero (“beget, father”).

noun

1. One who, or that which, generates, begets, causes, or produces.
   1. (chemistry) An apparatus in which vapour or gas is formed from a liquid or solid by means of heat or chemical process, as a steam boiler, gas retort etc.
   2. (music) The principal sound or sounds by which others are produced; the fundamental note or root of the common chord; -- see also generating tone.
   3. (mathematics) An element of a group that is used in the presentation of the group: one of the elements from which the others can be inferred with the given relators.
   4. (geometry) One of the lines of a ruled surface; more generally, an element of some family of linear spaces.
   5. (programming) A subordinate piece of code which, given some initial parameters, will generate multiple output values on request.
      When you come across something that looks like a listcomp but is surrounded by parentheses, you're looking at a generator: […] 2016, Paul Barry, Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide, O'Reilly, page 508
2. A piece of apparatus, equipment, etc, to convert or change energy from one form to another.
   1. Especially, a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.