/ ˈkætəlɪst; NAmE / noun
1.
( chemistry ) a substance that makes a chemical reaction happen faster without being changed itself
2.
catalyst (for sth) a person or thing that causes a change :
I see my role as being a catalyst for change.
••
WORD ORIGIN
early 20th cent.: from catalysis , the acceleration of a chemical reaction by a catalyst , on the pattern of analyst .