Definition of elater Elater

/ɛˈlʌtɚ/ - [eluter] - el•a•ter

We found 12 definitions of elater from 4 different sources.

What does elater mean?

Noun
elater - any of various widely distributed beetles
		elaterid beetle, elaterid
		beetle insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings
		elateridae, family elateridae click beetles and certain fireflies
		click beetle, snapping beetle, skipjack able to right itself when on its back by flipping into the air with a clicking sound

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elater (Noun)
That which elates.
elater (Noun)
Elasticity; especially the expansibility of a gas.
elater (Noun)
A long, slender cell produced among spores and having hygroscopic secondary cell wall thickenings.
elater (Noun)
Any of the long, slender hygroscopic appendages attached to the spores of horsetails genus Equisetum.
elater (Noun)
An elaterid, or click beetle .

elater (n.)
One who, or that which, elates.
elater (n.)
An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the spores, as in some liverworts.
elater (n.)
Any beetle of the family Elateridae, 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.
elater (n.)
The caudal spring used by Podura and related insects for leaping. See Collembola.
elater (n.)
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.