reactor

UK: riˈæktə | US: riˈæktər

Definition

  1. n. a device or structure used to initiate and control a nuclear chain reaction

  2. n. a container or vessel in which chemical reactions are carried out industrially

  3. n. (Biology) an organism or system that responds to a stimulus

Structure
re <back, again>act <do>or <noun suffix, agent>
Etymology

The word "reactor" combines Latin-derived morphemes:

  • "re-" (back/again) signals repetition or response, as seen in words like "reply" or "rebuild."
  • "act" (from Latin "agere," meaning "to do") forms the core idea of action or process.
  • "-or" (agent suffix) indicates a person or thing performing the action (e.g., "actor," "generator").
    Originally used in early 20th-century physics, "reactor" logically evolved to denote devices that "act again" (e.g., sustaining nuclear reactions) or respond to stimuli.
Examples

  1. The nuclear reactor was shut down for maintenance.

  2. Chemical reactors must withstand extreme temperatures.

  3. The bioreactor efficiently cultured cells for vaccine production.

  4. Engineers designed a compact fusion reactor prototype.

  5. Her immune system acted like a biological reactor to the infection.