ventilator

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a device that facilitates breathing in cases of respiratory failure

   My parents were both on ventilators before they passed.

2. 2
   noun

   a device such as a fan that introduces fresh air or expels foul air

   We need a ventilator in this room.

3. 3
   noun

   A machine that moves breathable air into and out of the lungs of a patient who is unable to breathe sufficiently.

   Near-synonym: respirator.

4. 4
   noun

   Some behaviour or happening that relieves a tense atmosphere or situation.

   A lover's quarrel is made up of jealousies, doubts, hopes, fears, and all sorts of fantastic fancies: a matrimonial dispute, on the contrary, is composed of familiar and ordinary matter, a sort of ventilator to the temper!

From ventilate + -or; cf. Latin ventilator.

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