getter

plural getters

1. One who, or that which, gets.

   In any case, now we have defined the identities and established the unique characteristics of all types of gift givers and gift getters.

   2009, Jodi Newbern, Regifting Revival!: A Guide to Reusing Gifts Graciously, page 15

   2 more examples

   Many times things would open in him to admiration, showing to rich men and the eager getters of this world, the danger they were in of hurting themselves, by hindering their growth in the truth.

   1838, William Evans, Thomas Evans, The Friends' Library

   Laird won a four-year city council term and was the top vote-getter in the 1981 election, which for the first time seated a progressive city council and a socialist mayor.

   1983 December 10, Scott Brookie, “Santa Cruz Elects A Gay Mayor”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 21, page 3

2. object-oriented programmingA function used to retrieve the value of some property of an object, contrasted with the setter.

   A proper getter must return the type of its attribute.

   2002, James Steven Perry, chapter 2, in Java Management Extensions, →ISBN, page 47

3. sciencesA material which is included in a vacuum system or device for removing gas by sorption.

   Titanium has become the preferred getter for general vacuum-pumping applications because of its relatively high vapor pressure characteristic and its broad spectrum chemical reactivity.

   1979, G. L. Weissler, Robert Warner Carlson, chapter 5, in Vacuum Physics and Technology, →ISBN, pages 194–195

4. historicalbusinessA miner who dug coal, contrasted with the putter, who took it to the surface.

present singular third person getters · participle present gettering · participle past gettered · past gettered

1. transitivesciencesTo remove gas by sorption, using a getter.

   Many reactive metals rapidly pump large quantities of active gases because they getter (react with) the gases.

   2003, John F. O'Hanlon, chapter 14, in A Users Guide to Vacuum Technology, →ISBN, page 247

   Synonyms: get

plural Getters

1. A surname from German.