actuator
UK /ˈæk.tjuː.eɪ.tə(ɹ)/ · US /ˈæk.t͡ʃu.eɪ.tɚ/ noun
Forms actuators
- noun Something that actuates something else. “The mind is the actuator of the body.”
- noun A usually electric device that causes a mechanical device (i.e., a mechanism) to be switched on or off. For example; an electric motor that opens and closes a valve.
- noun (computer hardware) The mechanism that moves the head assembly on a disk drive.
- noun (electricity) A relay that controls the flow of electricity.
Etymology
From actuate + -or. First attested in 1652.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “actuator”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details