Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Chemistry A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the process.
- n. One that precipitates a process or event, especially without being involved in or changed by the consequences: "A free press ... has remained ... a vital catalyst to an informed and responsible electorate” ( Robert O'Neal).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In physical chemistry Same as catalytic agent (which see).
Wiktionary
- n. chemistry A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process.
- n. Someone or something that encourages progress or change.
- n. automotive A catalytic converter.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Chem.) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.
- n. something that serves as a precipitating occasion for an event.
- n. something or someone that causes events to happen with itself being changed.
WordNet 3.0
- n. something that causes an important event to happen
- n. (chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected
Etymologies
- From catalysis + -ist. (Wiktionary)
- From catalysis. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Malone had filed the word catalyst in his mental Rolodex, right beside another nagging question.”
“ The term catalyst is often used to refer to the prime agent of any change: She was the catalyst for the reorganization.”
“The breakthrough came in 1971 when Yves Chauvin presented new experiments and suggested that the catalyst is a carbon/metal compound in which the metal is bonded to carbon with a double bond.”
“Today, perhaps, the term catalyst is most often heard in connection with purification of vehicle exhausts, a process in which the metals platinum and rhodium catalyze the degradation of the contaminant nitrous oxides.”
“And part of the catalyst is get yourself in trouble.”
“Cultural catalyst" is comically grandiose, yet not inaccurate.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘catalyst’.
-
GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
-
SCIE - EU nomenclature
All the scientific words found in the official EU nomenclature. For the screening I used Vocabgrabber of the Visual Thesaurus.
abdominal, absorbent, accelerator, accumulator, acebutolol, acetamide, acetanilide, acetate, acetic acid, acetone, acetous, acetyl and 1171 more...
-
GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
-
G[r]eek
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.etymology, philosophy, laconic, disharmony, patriarchic, archaic, phlogiston, aether, aeon, angel, arachnid, rhythm and 346 more...
-
GRE Barron's 800
abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abject, abjure, abscission, abscond, abstemious, abstinence, abysmal, accretion and 787 more...
-
IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
-
TECH - web application frameworks
limit, pack, automatic, HTTP, database, poi, event, coverage, core, hibernate, function, product and 310 more...
-
another list
zombie apocalypse, zombie snacktime, molotov cocktail, cantharidin, catharsis, rigor mortis, ultimatum, catalyst, extremities, redemption, survivalist, psycho-fact
-
gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1824 more...
-
revelation
synonyms of revelation or even catalysts leading revelation (moments of clarity).. whatever they may be (preferably nouns)
also experiences that are possible paths to enlightenment (v...rebirth, awakening, catharsis, revival, renewal, dawning, spring, reunion, recollect, exodus, epiphany, prophecy and 48 more...
-
cata-, cat-, kata-
down(ward), wrongly or badly, completely, against
catadromous, catastrophe, katabatic, catachresis, cataclysm, catapult, catatonic, catatonia, catawampus, catalyst, catabolic, catabolism and 24 more...
-
Words For Novel
viridity, effigy, paragon, congested, acrid, lilting, clandestine, plethora, accolade, sardonic, naïve, reckoning and 285 more...
-
to memorize
words i need to memorize
aberrant, abscond, advocate, aggrandize, amalgamate, ambiguous, ambrosial, anomalous, antediluvian, antipathy, arbitrate, assuage and 163 more...
-
Hit Parade GRE
Princeton Review words
abscond, aberrant, alacrity, anomaly, approbation, arduous, assuage, audacious, austere, axiomatic, canonical, capricious and 287 more...
-
Twitter favourites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favourite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
bumwank, calamity, recalcitrant, gayenese, jeeze, nonsense, flabbergasted, juxtapose, procrastinating, ossanity, biffing, loser and 1972 more... -
Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for catalyst.
hernesheir A strain of medical marijuana said to relieve symptoms of PMS. Jan 15, 2010