ventilator
nounattested in dialogue
- //ˈvɛntɪleɪtə//
A device that circulates fresh air and expels stale or noxious air.
noun
- 1
A device that circulates fresh air and expels stale or noxious air.
- 2
A machine that moves breathable air into and out of the lungs of a patient who is unable to breathe sufficiently.
Near-synonym: respirator
- 3
figurativeSome behaviour or happening that relieves a tense atmosphere or situation.
A lover's quarrel is made up of jealousies, doubts, hopes, fears, and all sorts of fantastic fancies: a matrimonial dispute, on the contrary, is composed of familiar and ordinary matter, a sort of ventilator to the temper!
- 4
obsoleteA play or an actor so bad as to empty the theater.
Etymology
From ventilate + -or; cf. Latin ventilator.
Forms
- plural
- ventilators
ventilator · A device that circulates fresh air and expels stale or noxious air.
venture · A risky or daring undertaking or journey.venue · A theater, auditorium, arena, or other area designated for…venus · Any of the bivalve molluscs in the genus Venus or family…