acceptor
acceptor Lexical Profile
acceptor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An atom, molecule, or ion that receives electrons or protons from a donor to form a chemical bond or complete a reaction.
"In aerobic respiration, oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor in the transport chain."
A dopant atom introduced into a semiconductor crystal lattice that captures valence electrons, thereby creating positive charge carriers (holes) and forming a p-type region.
"Boron is commonly added to silicon as an acceptor to manufacture p-type semiconductors."
A person or entity that receives, approves, or agrees to something, especially a drawee who signs a bill of exchange and becomes legally bound to pay it at maturity.
"Once the merchant signed the draft, he became the legal acceptor responsible for settling the debt."
Word Nuance & Usage
In financial and general contexts, the spelling 'accepter' is also used, whereas in chemistry, physics, and electronics, 'acceptor' is the strictly preferred standard spelling.
• Rhymes for acceptor
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French accepteur and directly from Latin acceptor ('one who receives or approves'), an agent noun from the verb accipere ('to take or receive').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.