I. ˈjenəˌrād.ə(r), -ātə- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin, from generatus + -or
1. : one that generates, causes, or produces : originator
the most important generator of industrial expansion — Andrew Shonfield
rival generators or experts in foreign policy — E.S.Griffith
2.
a. : an apparatus (as a steam boiler) in which vapor or gas is formed from a liquid or solid by heat or a chemical process
b. : an apparatus for the manufacture of gas (as water gas) involving the combustion of fuel ; especially : the chamber for holding the fuel — compare producer 3
c. : gas generator a
3. : a machine by which mechanical energy is changed into electrical energy usually by electromagnetic induction : dynamo — compare electrostatic generator
II. noun
: a mathematical entity that when subjected to one or more operations yields another mathematical entity or its elements ; specifically : generatrix 1