detector

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner
noun rectifier that extracts modulation from a radio carrier wave
noun electronic equipment that detects the presence of radio signals or radioactivity

Borrowed from Latin dētēctor. Equals detect + -or (agent noun forming suffix).

How to Place the Detector. — Electricity for Boys, James Slough Zerbe
Thompson's Bank Note Detector: 179. — Old Times on the Upper Mississippi: The Recollections of a Steamboat Pilot from 1854 to 1863, George Byron Merrick
Peter tapped his detector and grunted. — Peter the Brazen: A Mystery Story of Modern China, George F. (George Frank) Worts

sensor, sensing element

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