-ator

suffix forming agent nouns, usu. from Latin words (sometimes via French) (agitator; creator; equator; escalator). See also -OR(1).
Etymology: L -ator

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\\|ād.ə(r), |ātə(r) sometimes |āˌtȯ(ə)r or -ˌtȯ(ə)\ noun suffix (-s)

Etymology: Middle English -atour, from Old French & Latin; Old French -atour, -ator, from Latin -ator, from -atus -ate + -or

: one that does

calorizator

totalizator

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a combination of -ate¹ and -or² that forms nouns corresponding to verbs ending in -ate¹,denoting a human agent (agitator; mediator; adjudicator) or nonhuman entity, esp. a machine (incubator; regulator; vibrator) performing the function named by the verb. Cf. -tor, -or².

[ < L -ator, orig. not a suffix, but the termination of nouns formed with -tor -TOR from verbs whose stems ended in -a-; in English, Latin loanwords ending in -ator have been reanalyzed as derivatives of the past participles in -tus (see -ATE¹) and a suffix -or (see -OR²), and many new English nouns derived from English verbs based on Latin past participles (e.g., VIBRATOR from VIBRATE)]

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suffix forming agent nouns such as agitator

■ used in names of implements, machines, etc

escalator

Origin:

from Latin, or sometimes representing French -ateur

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-ator [-ator] suffix

(in nouns) a person or thing that does sth

•

creator

•

percolator

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-ator, suffix

(eɪtə(r))

See -or 2 b, c.