APPARATUS (apparatus)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: apparatus   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does apparatus mean? 

• APPARATUS (noun)
  The noun APPARATUS has 2 senses:

1. equipment designed to serve a specific function

2. (anatomy) a group of body parts that work together to perform a given function

  Familiarity information: APPARATUS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• APPARATUS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Equipment designed to serve a specific function

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

apparatus; setup

Hypernyms ("apparatus" is a kind of...):

equipment (an instrumentality needed for an undertaking or to perform a service)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "apparatus"):

burner (an apparatus for burning fuel (or refuse))

X-ray machine (an apparatus that provides a source of X rays)

titrator (an apparatus for performing a titration)

telegraph; telegraphy (apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code))

submersible (an apparatus intended for use under water)

still (an apparatus used for the distillation of liquids; consists of a vessel in which a substance is vaporized by heat and a condenser where the vapor is condensed)

soda fountain (an apparatus for dispensing soda water)

sequenator; sequencer ((chemistry) an apparatus that can determine the sequence of monomers in a polymer)

semaphore (an apparatus for visual signaling with lights or mechanically moving arms)

reformer (an apparatus that reforms the molecular structure of hydrocarbons to produce richer fuel)

purifier (an apparatus for removing impurities)

pendulum (an apparatus consisting of an object mounted so that it swings freely under the influence of gravity)

optical bench (apparatus for observation and measurement of optical phenomena)

nuclear reactor; reactor ((physics) any of several kinds of apparatus that maintain and control a nuclear reaction for the production of energy or artificial elements)

lighting (apparatus for supplying artificial light effects for the stage or a film)

Kipp's apparatus (a laboratory apparatus for producing a gas (usually hydrogen sulfide) by the action of a liquid on a solid without heating)

instillator (medical apparatus that puts a liquid into a cavity drop by drop)

brooder; incubator (apparatus consisting of a box designed to maintain a constant temperature by the use of a thermostat; used for chicks or premature infants)

heliograph (an apparatus for sending telegraphic messages by using a mirror to turn the sun's rays off and on)

heat pump (apparatus that extracts heat from a liquid that is at a higher temperature than its surroundings; can be used to transfer heat from a reservoir outside in order to heat a building)

generator (an apparatus that produces a vapor or gas)

electrograph (an apparatus for the electrical transmission of pictures)

copier; duplicator (apparatus that makes copies of typed, written or drawn material)

condenser (an apparatus that converts vapor into liquid)

chemical reactor (an apparatus for holding substances that are undergoing a chemical reaction)

centrifuge; extractor; separator (an apparatus that uses centrifugal force to separate particles from a suspension)

cascade liquefier (an apparatus used to liquefy air or oxygen etc.)

aerator (an apparatus for exposing something to the air (as sewage))

Sense 2

Meaning:

(anatomy) a group of body parts that work together to perform a given function

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

the breathing apparatus

Hypernyms ("apparatus" is a kind of...):

body part (any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity)

Domain category:

anatomy; general anatomy (the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "apparatus"):

auditory apparatus (all of the components of the organ of hearing including the outer and middle and inner ears)

 Context examples 

An apparatus for the formation of vapor or gas from a liquid or solid by heat or chemical action.

(Generator Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

The movement of proteins takes place by transfer vesicles that bud off from the rough endoplasmic reticulum or golgi apparatus and fuse with the golgi, lysosomes or cell membrane.

(Golgi Apparatus, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein is a type II transmembrane protein located in the Golgi that mediates the transport of proteins through the Golgi apparatus

(Golgi Phosphoprotein 2, NCI Thesaurus)

The vocal apparatus of the larynx, consisting of the true vocal cords (plica vocalis) and the opening between them (rima glottidis).

(Murine Glottis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

An apparatus that converts solutions, suspensions or solids, composed of active and/or inert ingredient(s) into a vapor or gas by heat or chemical reaction.

(Generator Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

A computer-implemented image processing method and apparatus for normalizing gel electrophoresis images.

(Gel Warping Algorithm, NCI Thesaurus)

One of the flattened membrane-bound disks of the Golgi apparatus.

(Cisterna of the Golgi Apparatus, NCI Thesaurus)

Eukaryotic DNA replication involves a replication apparatus containing the key enzymatic components DNA Primase and DNA Polymerase Alpha.

(DNA Primase, NCI Thesaurus)

The inner ear is made up of the cochlea needed for hearing and the vestibular apparatus required for balance.

(Ear, NCI Thesaurus)

The entire nerve apparatus, composed of a central part, the brain and spinal cord, and a peripheral part, the cranial and spinal nerves, autonomic ganglia, and plexuses.

(Murine Nervous System, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)