English Reference

Word

carburetor

Phoneticscar·bu·re·tor

US/ˈkɑɹbɝˌeɪtɝ/

UK/kˌɑːbəɹˈɛtɐ/

Definition

n. a slang word for a person who is very attractive or has a lot of sex appeal. It comes from the idea of mixing fuel and air to make an engine run smoothly.

n. a slang term for a person, typically a man, who is perceived as highly attractive or sexually appealing. Derived from the mechanical device that mixes fuel and air for an internal combustion engine.

Examples

“He is a real carburetor.”

“The guy at the bar was a total carburetor, but he didn't seem to notice anyone else.”

Examples

simple

“He is a real carburetor.”

contextual

“The guy at the bar was a total carburetor, but he didn't seem to notice anyone else.”

Etymology

Attested from 1862, from carburet (“enrich an illuminating gas with carbon-rich fuel”) + -or. The motor vehicle sense is attested since 1896

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference