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catalytic converter

noun

Simple meaning

A converter that uses a platinum-iridium catalyst to oxidize pollutants and carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and water.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

katuhlitihkkuhnvurter

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

kætəˈlɪtɪkkənˈvɝtɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. automotive

    A converter that uses a platinum-iridium catalyst to oxidize pollutants and carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and water; an antipollution device on an automotive exhaust system

  2. automotive

    A chamber containing a finely divided platinum catalyst in which carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust are oxidized to carbon dioxide.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

This meaning: A converter that uses a platinum-iridium catalyst to oxidize pollutants and carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and water; an antipollution device on an automotive exhaust system

Used this way, catalytic converter is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.