Hypertext Webster Gateway: "elater"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Elater \E*lat"er\, n.
One who, or that which, elates.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Elater \El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
1. (Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the
spores, as in some liverworts.
2. (Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family {Elaterid[ae]}, having
the habit, when laid on the back, of giving a sudden
upward spring, by a quick movement of the articulation
between the abdomen and thorax; -- called also {click
beetle}, {spring beetle}, and {snapping beetle}.
3. (Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by {Podura} and related
insects for leaping. See {Collembola}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Elater \El"a*ter\, n. (Chem.)
The active principle of elaterium, being found in the juice
of the wild or squirting cucumber ({Ecballium agreste},
formerly {Motordica Elaterium}) and other related species. It
is extracted as a bitter, white, crystalline substance, which
is a violent purgative.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
elater
n : any of various widely distributed beetles [syn: {elaterid
beetle}, {elaterid}]
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