preheater
|pre-heat-er|
🇺🇸
/priːˈhiːtər/
🇬🇧
/priːˈhiːtə/
(preheat)
heat beforehand
Etymology
'preheater' originates from English, formed by the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae-' meaning 'before') combined with 'heater' (from 'heat' + agentive suffix '-er').
'preheater' changed from the verb 'preheat' (a Modern English formation combining 'pre-' + 'heat') and then acquired the agentive suffix '-er' to denote a device or person that performs the action, yielding 'preheater'.
Initially it meant 'a thing or person that heats beforehand', and over time it has remained essentially the same, typically referring to a mechanical device used in industrial or domestic contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a device or unit that heats something (air, fuel, material, etc.) before a main heating process; a heater used to preheat.
The plant installed a new preheater to warm the feedstock before it entered the kiln.
Synonyms
Noun 2
an agent noun derived from the verb 'preheat' (a thing that preheats).
A preheater reduces energy consumption by raising the temperature of incoming air.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/20 13:31