converter

Noun

converter (plural converters)

1. A person or thing that converts.
   • The Mekydro transmission employs a single converter and a four-speed mechanical gearbox, which has the advantage of cheapness and simplicity for the same number of gear changes, and does away with the necessity for constantly emptying and filling converters, which tends to harm the oil by aeration.1960 January, “The Swindon Type "4" diesel-hydraulic units”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 41–42, referring to a torque converter
   1. A device that changes voltage or frequency, for example one that converts alternating current to direct current.
   2. A retort or furnace, used e.g. in the Bessemer process, in which molten cast iron is decarburized and converted into steel by a blast of air forced through the liquid metal.
   3. A reaction chamber in which exhaust gases are catalytically converted to carbon dioxide
   4. A program that converts one file format to another one, or which converts between different units of measurement, such as miles to meters.
   5. A patient with a certain condition that subsequently develops into another condition.
   6. A device that converts an analogue to a digital signal, or vice versa.
   7. (Ontario, Southern, slang) Regional term for remote control.