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operator

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Operator, operatör, operatőr, operatør, and operátor

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin operātor, from operor (“work, labour”). Equivalent to operate +‎ -or.

Pronunciation

Noun

operator (countable and uncountable, plural operators)

  1. A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.
    The drone crashed because of operator error.
    The new bus operator has promised to improve the frequency of rural services.
  2. A telecommunications facilitator whose job is to connect or otherwise assist callers.
    To get an international line, you used to have to go through the operator.
    I kept getting "number unobtainable", so I called the operator to find out what was going on.
  3. A member of a military special operations unit.
  4. (uncountable) The game of Chinese whispers.
  6. (informal) A person who is adept at making deals or getting results, especially one who uses questionable methods.
    • 1990, House of Cards, season 1, episode 1:
      Francis Urquhart: I think Lord Billsborough is starting to lose touch a bit.
      Tim Stamper: Shame. Used to be a hell of an operator in his day.
  7. (mathematics) A function or other mapping that carries values defined on a domain into another value or set of values in a defined range.
  9. (computing) The administrator of a channel or network on IRC.
  11. (computing) A symbol that represents a construct in a programming language and differs from a normal function in its syntax.
  13. (linguistics) A kind of expression that enters into an a-bar movement dependency and is said to bind a variable.
    In the sentence "What did Bill say he wants to buy?", "what" is an operator, binding a phonetically empty variable.
  15. (transport) A bus driver.
  17. (by ellipsis, mining) The company that operates a mine; often the same one that owns the mine.
    Coordinate terms: mineowner (often coinstantial); (in contrast) mineworkers, miners, workers, laborers, labor union, trade union; regulator
  18. (Should we delete(+) this sense?)(slang) A thief or charlatan.
    • 1709 January 11, Colley Cibber, “The Rival Fools: […]”, in Mr. Cibber's Plays, volume II, London: […] B. Lintot […], published 1721, page 104:
      Sir Ol. Sirrah! I got many a round Sum by it, when my Father wou'd not give me a Groat—Then, Sir, I was in with all the Top Gameſters, and when there was a fat Squire to be fleec'd; I had my Office among them too, and tho' I ſay it, was one of the neateſt Operators about Town.
    • 2016, C. T. Collier, Planted, Scottsdale, A.Z.: Asdee Press, →ISBN, page 301:
      Hank was saying, "Lyssa showed me the screenshots of Nate's accounts, so we know he's helping himself to Nate's money every month. The guy's a real operator."
  19. (Should we delete(+) this sense?)(slang) A major criminal.
  20. (Should we delete(+) this sense?)(slang, dated) Someone who is successful at pursuing women; a player.
    • 1974, Earl Wilson, Show Business Laid Bare, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 188:
      I give credit to men who are great operators, as we once called them, with the girls. Once I was interviewing one of the most beautiful girls in the world in her suite at the Hotel Plaza. While she was busily denying to me that there was anything serious in her relationship with Warren Beatty, who should be barging into the next room of the suite with a lot of clothes being removed from another suite, but Warren Beatty?
    • 1988 [1977], Luciano De Crescenzo, translated by Avril Bardoni, Thus Spake Bellavista: Naples, Love, and Liberty, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, →ISBN, page 101:
      "Of course you're right, but the Baron is unfortunately a bit of an operator, if you know what I mean. He likes the ladies," said Salvatore with a wicked grin. "So he never gets in until two, sometimes even three in the morning, and that's because he goes dancing at the Mela; he's quite a playboy."
    • 1996, George P. Pelecanos, The Big Blowdown, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 298:
      Anyway, there's gonna be plenty of girls. Plenty of girls for an operator like you.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

Anagrams

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Indonesian

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin operātor.

Pronunciation

Noun

operator (plural operator-operator)

  1. operator

Derived terms

  • operator boolean
  • operator ekonomi
  • operator pemrosesan data
  • operator pendekodean
  • operator relasional
  • operator telepon
  • operator wisata

Further reading

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Latin

Etymology

operor +‎ -tor.

Pronunciation

Noun

operātor m (genitive operātōris); third declension

  1. worker, operator

Declension

Third-declension noun.

More information singular, plural ...

Descendants

Verb

operātor

  1. second/third-person singular future active imperative of operor

References

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /oːpɛɾɑːˈtoːɾ/

Noun

operator ?

  1. surgeon
Request for quotations This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes, then please add them!

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Borrowed from French opérateur, from Latin operātor.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɔ.pɛˈra.tɔr/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -atɔr
  • Syllabification: o‧pe‧ra‧tor

Noun

operator m pers (female equivalent operatorka)

  1. machinist, operator
  2. (medicine) surgeon
    Synonym: chirurg
  3. (cinematography) cameraman, cinematographer
  4. (telecommunications) operator (company providing operator services)

Declension

Declension of operator
More information singular, plural ...

Noun

operator m inan

  1. (mathematics) operator
  2. (linguistics) operator

Declension

Declension of operator
More information singular, plural ...

Derived terms

adjectives
  • operatorowy
  • operatorski
noun
  • operatornia

Further reading

  • operator in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • operator in Polish dictionaries at PWN
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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French opérateur or Latin operator. Equivalent to opera +‎ -tor.

Adjective

operator m or n (feminine singular operatoare, masculine plural operatori, feminine/neuter plural operatoare)

  1. operating

Declension

More information singular, plural ...

Noun

operator m (plural operatori)

  1. worker, operator

Declension

More information singular, plural ...
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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /opěraːtor/
  • Hyphenation: o‧pe‧ra‧tor

Noun

opèrātor m inan (Cyrillic spelling опѐра̄тор)

  1. (mathematics) operator

Declension

More information singular, plural ...
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Swedish

Noun

operator c

  1. (mathematics, computing) an operator

Declension

More information nominative, genitive ...

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