Meanings
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1
noun
a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy
A diesel generator supplied electricity during the power cut.
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2
noun
a device, program, or process that produces a particular signal, substance, value, or result
The test suite uses a random-number generator to create sample inputs.
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3
noun
a person or thing that originates, creates, or causes something
Tourism is a major generator of employment in the region.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Late Latin generator, "begetter or producer," from generare, "to beget or produce," the source of generate. The electrical sense arose for a machine that produces current; later technical compounds apply the same producer metaphor to signals, values, gases, and other outputs.