initiator
n. countablen. a person or thing that starts a process or a chemical reaction. In computing, it is the device that sends a request to another computer.
n. an agent or substance that triggers a chemical reaction or a specific process. In a technical context, it refers to the entity that instigates a communication request or a sequence of operations.
The initiator starts the chemical reaction.
In a network request, the initiator sends a signal to the responder to begin the data transfer.
The study identified the specific enzyme as the primary initiator of the metabolic pathway, highlighting its critical role in cellular energy production.
Borrowed from Latin initiātor. By surface analysis, initiate + or.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 30, 2026