catalyst

catalyst
catalyst catalyst n. 1. (Chem.) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected; as, thousands of enzymes serve in concert as calaysts to produce the sequence of reactions we call ``life``; the industrial production of cheap ammonia depended on finding a good catalyst. [WordNet 1.5]

2. something that serves as a precipitating occasion for an event; as, the invasion acted as a catalyst to unite the country.

Note: A catalyst is never the main cause of an event, but may serve to hasten events for which the underlying causes are present prior to the appearance or occurrence of the catalyst. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]

3. something or someone that causes events to happen with itself being changed. [PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • catalyst — UK US /ˈkætəlɪst/ noun [C] ► someone or something that causes a big change: the catalyst behind sth »The catalyst behind this welcome trend has been the mighty Bill Gates. catalyst for sth »An outside leader is often needed to serve as a catalyst …   Financial and business terms

  • Catalyst — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Catalyst puede referirse a: Catalyst (controladores) Catalyst (framework) Catalyst (álbum) de New Found Glory Obtenido de Catalyst Categoría: Wikipedia:Desambiguación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Catalyst — (englisch für Katalysator) steht für: ein Gerätetreiber Paket für Radeon Grafikkarten, siehe AMD Catalyst ein in Perl geschriebenes MVC Web Framework, siehe Catalyst Web Framework eine Produktbezeichnung für eine Serie von Ethernet Switches der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Catalyst — Catalyst. См. Катализатор. (Источник: «Металлы и сплавы. Справочник.» Под редакцией Ю.П. Солнцева; НПО Профессионал , НПО Мир и семья ; Санкт Петербург, 2003 г.) …   Словарь металлургических терминов

  • catalyst — I noun abettor, activator, active element, active partisan, active reformer, actuator, agacerie, agent provocateur, agitator, animator, catalytic agent, cause, encouragement, encourager, excitant, exciter, ferment, force, goad, impeller, impetus …   Law dictionary

  • catalyst — (n.) 1902, formed in English (on analogy of analyst) from CATALYSIS (Cf. catalysis) …   Etymology dictionary

  • catalyst — [n] something which incites activity adjuvant, agitator, enzyme, goad, impetus, impulse, incendiary, incentive, incitation, incitement, motivation, radical stimulus, reactant, reactionary, spark plug*, spur, stimulant, synergist, wave maker*;… …   New thesaurus

  • catalyst — ► NOUN 1) a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. 2) a person or thing that precipitates an event …   English terms dictionary

  • catalyst — [kat′ə list΄] n. 1. any substance serving as the agent in catalysis 2. a person or thing acting as the stimulus in bringing about or hastening a result catalytic [kat′əlit′ik] adj. catalytically adv …   English World dictionary

  • Catalyst — Это статья о веб фреймворке. О наборе системного ПО AMD/ATI см. ATI Catalyst. Catalyst Тип Программный каркас для создания веб приложений Разработчики Jonathan Rockway, David Kamholz, Brian Cassidy, Yuval Kogman, Matt S. Trout, Jesse Sheidlower,… …   Википедия

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”