detector: Meaning and Definition of

de•tec•tor

Pronunciation: (di-tek'tur), [key]
— n.
  1. a person or thing that detects.
  2. a device for detecting smoke, fire, or some other hazardous condition.
  3. a device for detecting the presence of metal, contraband, or other items that might be hidden or concealed.
    1. a device for detecting electric oscillations or waves.
    2. a device, as a crystal detector or a vacuum tube, that rectifies the alternating current in a radio receiver.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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