Generator Meaning
/ˈdʒɛnəɹeɪtə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounOne who, or that which, generates, begets, causes, or produces.
nounOne who, or that which, generates, begets, causes, or produces., 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.
Sentence Examples
Every hospital has a back-up electric generator in case of blackout.
All hospitals are equipped with a spare generator in case of a power outage.
Many games use dice as a random number generator.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wind turbine acts as a ____ that turns wind into electricity.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We had to use a portable ____ to provide power for the lights and sound system during the outdoor festival.
Word Origin & History
From Latin, from past participle of genero (“beget, father”), equivalent to generate + -or.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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, →ISBN, page 508:
"In 1915, concurrent with the L.S.W.R. electrification, power was supplied from the Waterloo sub-station, and the old equipment held in reserve. Some generator sets were removed, and motor generators installed for standby lighting and other services."
— 1958 August 26, T. S. Lascelles, “Diamond Jubilee of the Waterloo & City Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 523:
"Heating in the passenger sections is by electricity obtained from the main generator. When heating is dictated by the operation of a thermostat in the roof of the motor coach, engine idling speed is 600 r.p.m. instead of the normal 450 r.p.m. in order to produce a high enough generator voltage output at rest."
— 1962 December 26, “The Oxted Line diesel-electric multiple-units”, in Modern Railways, page 383:
"Using a tractor fan, shock absorbers, PVC pipes, a bicycle frame and anything else he could lay his hands on, he then built a rudimentary wooden tower, plonked his home-made generator on the top, and eventually got one, and then four bulbs to light up."
— 2009 October 2, John Vidal, “'Tilting at windmills: the boy who harnessed the wind'”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
"WIND
Since 2001, Taipower has installed eight wind-powered generators on Penghu, and in 2004 the main island's first commercial wind farm — located in Shihmen Township, Taipei County, and built by Taipower — went online."
— 2010, Taiwan: Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook, International Business Publications, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 130:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wind turbine acts as a ____ that turns wind into electricity.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We had to use a portable ____ to provide power for the lights and sound system during the outdoor festival.