elevator

el·e·va·tor

noun \ˈe-lə-ˌvā-tər\

: a machine used for carrying people and things to different levels in a building

: a tall building for storing grain

Full Definition of ELEVATOR

1

:  one that raises or lifts something up: as

a :  an endless belt or chain conveyor with cleats, scoops, or buckets for raising material

b :  a cage or platform and its hoisting machinery for conveying people or things to different levels

c :  grain elevator

2

:  a movable airfoil usually attached to the tailplane of an airplane for controlling pitch — see airplane illustration

Examples of ELEVATOR

1. We took the elevator to the 10th floor.

First Known Use of ELEVATOR

1646

Rhymes with ELEVATOR

abdicator, abnegator, activator, actuator, adulator, advocator, agitator, alligator, allocator, animator, annotator, applicator, arbitrator, aspirator, aviator, brachiator, buccinator, calculator, calibrator, captivator, carburetor, castigator, circulator, commentator, commutator, compensator, compurgator, concentrator, confiscator, congregator, consecrator, consummator, contemplator, corporator, correlator, cultivator, decorator, defalcator, delegator, demonstrator, denigrator, depredator, desecrater, designator, detonator, deviator, dissipater, dominator, dura mater, educator, emulator, escalator, estimator, excavator, explicator, expurgator, extirpator, fabricator, fascinator, figure skater, flocculator, formulator, fornicator, fractionator, fumigator, generator, gladiator, hesitater, hibernator, imitator, immolator, impregnator, incubator, indicator, infiltrator, in-line skater, innovator, inhalator, inspirator, instigator, insulator, integrator, lacrimator, liberator, liquidator, literator, lubricator, macerator, masticator, mediator, mitigator, moderator, modulator, motivator, mutilator, navigator, nomenclator, nominator, numerator, obturator, operator, orchestrator, oscillator, peculator, percolator, perforator, perpetrator, pia mater, pollinator, postulator, procreator, procurator, promulgator, propagator, punctuator, radiator, re-creator, remonstrator, renovator, resonator, respirator, revelator, roller skater, rubricator, rusticator, salivator, second-rater, selling-plater, separator, simulator, stimulator, subjugator, Sunset Crater, syncopator, syndicator, tabulator, terminator, vaccinator, vacillator, valuator, venerator, ventilator, vindicator, violator, vitiator

el·e·va·tor

noun \ˈel-ə-ˌvāt-ər\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of ELEVATOR

1

: a dental instrument for removing teeth or the roots of teeth which cannot be gripped with a forceps

2

: a surgical instrument for raising a depressed part (as a bone) or for separating contiguous parts

elevator

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Car that moves in a vertical shaft to carry passengers or freight between the levels of a multistory building. The use of mechanical lifting platforms dates to Roman times. Steam and hydraulic elevators came into use in the 19th century; electric elevators had been introduced by the end of the century. Most modern elevators are electrically propelled through a system of cables and pulleys with the aid of a counterweight, though hydraulic elevators are still used in low buildings. The introduction of an automatic safety device by Elisha Otis (1811–1861) in 1853 made the passenger elevator possible. By opening the way to higher buildings, the elevator played a decisive role in creating the characteristic urban geography of modern cities.