actuator

English

Etymology

From actuate +‎ -or. First attested in 1652.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈæk.tjuː.eɪ.tə(ɹ)/, /ˈæk.t͡ʃu.eɪ.tə(ɹ)/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈæk.t͡ʃu.eɪ.tɚ/, [ˈæk.t͡ʃu.eɪ.ɾɚ]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈæk.t͡ʃʉ.æɪ.tə(ɹ)/, [ˈæk.t͡ʃʉ.æɪ.ɾə(ɹ)]

Noun

actuator (plural actuators)

1. Something that actuates something else.

   The mind is the actuator of the body.

   • 1652, Anthony Burgesse, Spiritual Refining: or a Treatise of Grace and Assurance, Section V, Sermon XLIII, page 264:

     […] and God is the Author and Actuator of nature, as well as of grace; […]

2. A usually electric device that causes a mechanical device (i.e., a mechanism) to be switched on or off. For example; an electric motor that opens and closes a valve.
3. (computer hardware) The mechanism that moves the head assembly on a disk drive.
4. (electrical) A relay that controls the flow of electricity.

Derived terms

• bioactuator
• microactuator
• multiactuator
• nanoactuator
• piezoactuator
• thermoactuator
• vibroactuator

 

Translations

something that actuates something else

• Finnish: liikuttaja, kannustaja (fi)
• French: actionneur (fr) m
• German: Aktor (de) m, Aktuator (de) m

device that causes a mechanical device to be switched on or off

• Finnish: toimilaite, käyttölaite
• French: actionneur (fr) m
• German: Aktor (de) m, Aktuator (de) m

the mechanism that moves the head assembly on a disk drive

• Finnish: toimilaite, aktuaattori
• Icelandic: armstjóri m
• Portuguese: atuador m

a relay that controls the flow of electricity

• Finnish: aktuaattori
• Italian: attuatore (it) m, ripetitore (it) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese: ^{(please verify)} 致动器 (zhì dòng qì)
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} vahelüliti
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} attuatore (it) m
• Portuguese: ^{(please verify)} atuador m
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} activador (es) m

Anagrams

• autocrat

Latin

Verb

āctuātor

1. second/third-person singular future passive imperative of āctuō