radiator

UK/ˈrædɪeɪ̯tə/US/ˈɹej.di(j)ˌej.tɚ/

nounB22 meanings Common in everyday speech and writing · #5,917 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: radiators

A radiator is the ridged metal panel on the wall that heats the room. Hot water goes through it and the room warms up.

The ridges exist to increase the surface area, and despite the name most of the heat comes off by convection rather than radiation. Bleeding one lets out trapped air that stops it warming at the top. A car has a radiator too, doing the opposite job, since it takes heat out of the engine. Drying socks on a radiator is a British tradition that nobody admits to.

Definitions of radiator

1nounradiatorA panel that heats a room using hot water or electricity.B2
“He hung his gloves over the radiator.”
2nounvehicleThe part of a vehicle that cools the engine.B2
“The radiator had boiled dry.”

Where it comes from

Latin
radiātus
English
radiate
English, today
radiator

Built from

radiō · Latin — to radiate, furnish with spokes, give out rays, radiate, shine
radius · Latin — a spoke, ray

From radiate + -or. a doublet of radiatori. radiate Latin radiātus, perfect passive participle of radiō (“to radiate, furnish with spokes, give out rays, radiate, shine”) (see -ate), from radius (“a spoke, ray”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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