Meanings
noundeactivator (plural deactivators)
plural deactivators
- Any device used to deactivate something.
- A chamber filled with iron filings or other material used to remove excess oxygen or other substances from water.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Englishde-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
- Proto-Italic*agō
- Latinagō
- Ancient Greekἐνεργητικός (energētikós)
- Latināctīvu
- Old Frenchactif
- Middle Englishactyf
- Englishactive
- Englishactivate
- Englishdeactivate
- Englishdeactivator
From deactivate + -or.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
deactivator. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deactivator
MLA
“deactivator.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deactivator. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deactivator,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deactivator.
Source: deactivator on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.