ˈkad. ə lə̇st, -at ə l- noun
( -s )
Etymology: from catalysis, probably after English analysis: analyst
1. : a substance that brings about catalysis and that may or may not actually take part chemically in the reaction ; broadly : any substance (as an enzyme) that initiates a reaction and enables it to take place under milder conditions (as at a lower temperature) than in the absence of the catalyst — compare biocatalyst
2. : an agent that provokes or precipitates catalysis
the housing program is intended to become the catalyst of the new French economy — Edmond Taylor
the major catalyst in his writing life has been the Mississippi countryside — C.H.Baker
he was rumored to be the catalyst in a native uprising — H.W.Wind