'Elater' definitions:
Definition of 'elater'
From: WordNet
noun
Any of various widely distributed beetles [syn: elaterid beetle, elater, elaterid]
Definition of 'Elater'
From: GCIDE
- Elater \E*lat"er\, n. One who, or that which, elates. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Elater'
From: GCIDE
- Elater \El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
- 1. (Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the spores, as in some liverworts. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family Elaterid[ae], having the habit, when laid on the back, of giving a sudden upward spring, by a quick movement of the articulation between the abdomen and thorax; -- called also {click beetle}, spring beetle, and snapping beetle. [1913 Webster]
- 3. (Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by Podura and related insects for leaping. See Collembola. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Elater'
From: GCIDE
- Elater \El"a*ter\, n. (Chem.) The active principle of elaterium, being found in the juice of the wild or squirting cucumber (Ecballium agreste, formerly Motordica Elaterium) and other related species. It is extracted as a bitter, white, crystalline substance, which is a violent purgative. [1913 Webster]