operator

Main Entry:: op·er·a·tor
Pronunciation:: \ˈä-pə-ˌrā-tər, ˈä-ˌprā-\
Function:: noun
Date:: 1611

1: one that operates: as a: one that operates a machine or device b: one that operates a business c: one that performs surgical operations d: one that deals in stocks or commodities 2 a: mountebank, fraud b: a shrewd and skillful person who knows how to circumvent restrictions or difficulties3 a: something and especially a symbol that denotes or performs a mathematical or logical operation b: a mathematical function4: a binding site in a DNA chain at which a genetic repressor binds to inhibit the initiation of transcription of messenger RNA by one or more nearby structural genes —called also operator gene — compare operon

— op·er·a·tor·less adjective

Learn more about "operator" and related topics at Britannica.com

See a map of "operator" in the Visual Thesaurus

Find Jobs in Your City

Pronunciation Symbols