Accelerant
/əkˈsɛləɹ(ə)nt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any substance that can bond or mix with, or disturb, another substance and cause an increase in the speed of a natural or artificial chemical process.; In the context of fire protection, a substance that accelerates the development of a fire, especially some hydrocarbon-based fuel used to spread a fire caused by arson.
"Accelerant was poured across the beds where the two daughters of a family in Cheshire, Conn., had been tied before a fire during a home invasion in 2007, a fire investigator told jurors on Friday."
- 2 Any substance that can bond or mix with, or disturb, another substance and cause an increase in the speed of a natural or artificial chemical process.; A substance used to catalyze the vulcanization of rubber.
- 3 Something that speeds up a process or the uptake of something else. figuratively
"Hello Neighbor’s experience reflects the rise of video sites like YouTube as an accelerant for the video game business."
Adjective
- 1 Causing acceleration or speeding up; accelerating.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The police were able to determine that an accelerant was used in the fire."
Etymology
From accelerate + -ant (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs, or forming adjectives with senses of being prone or tending to do the actions of verbs).