ELATER • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Elater

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/ˈɛlətər/ /ˈɪleɪtər/ Listen

noun

Elater n. One who, or that which, elates.

Elater n.

(Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the spores, as in some liverworts.

(Zoöl.) 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.

(Zoöl.) The caudal spring used by Podura and related insects for leaping. See Collembola.

Elater 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.

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Etymology of 'Elater'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Elater" Quotes from Famous Books

... the most persistent and destructive of all the ground vermin. There are fully a dozen species of beetles the larvae of which are known as 'Wireworms,' and of these the 'Spring-Jacks,' 'Click-Beetles,' and 'Blacksmiths'—Elater obscurus, E. lineatus, and E. ruficaudis—are the most prevalent. The female beetle deposits her eggs in the earth in the height of the summer, and in due time the worms emerge and commence their depredations. ...

— The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition • Sutton and Sons