English noun: catalyst | |||
1. | catalyst (substance) (chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected | ||
Synonyms | accelerator | ||
Broader (hypernym) | activator | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | biocatalyst, enzyme, platinum black | ||
Domain category | chemical science, chemistry | ||
Antonyms | anticatalyst | ||
2. | catalyst (person) something that causes an important event to happen | ||
Samples | The invasion acted as a catalyst to unite the country. | ||
Broader (hypernym) | causal agency, causal agent, cause | ||