Wiktionary

operator

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

English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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.
  8. (computing) The administrator of a channel or network on IRC.
  9. (computing) A symbol that represents a construct in a programming language and differs from a normal function in its syntax.
  10. (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.
  11. (transport) A bus driver.
  12. (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."
  13. (Should we delete(+) this sense?)(slang) A major criminal.
  14. (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

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Latin

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Etymology

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operor +‎ -tor.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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operātor m (genitive operātōris); third declension

  1. worker, operator

Declension

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Third-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative operātor operātōrēs
genitive operātōris operātōrum
dative operātōrī operātōribus
accusative operātōrem operātōrēs
ablative operātōre operātōribus
vocative operātor operātōrēs

Descendants

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Verb

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operātor

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

References

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Northern Kurdish

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Etymology

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /oːpɛɾɑːˈtoːɾ/

Noun

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operator ?

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

Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Borrowed from French opérateur, from Latin operātor.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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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

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Declension of operator
singular plural
nominative operator operatorzy/operatory (deprecative)
genitive operatora operatorów
dative operatorowi operatorom
accusative operatora operatorów
instrumental operatorem operatorami
locative operatorze operatorach
vocative operatorze operatorzy

Noun

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operator m inan

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

Declension

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Declension of operator
singular plural
nominative operator operatory
genitive operatoru operatorów
dative operatorowi operatorom
accusative operator operatory
instrumental operatorem operatorami
locative operatorze operatorach
vocative operatorze operatory

Derived terms

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adjectives
noun

Further reading

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

Romanian

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Etymology

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

Adjective

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

  1. operating

Declension

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singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative-
accusative 		indefinite operator operatoare operatori operatoare
definite operatorul operatoarea operatorii operatoarele
genitive-
dative 		indefinite operator operatoare operatori operatoare
definite operatorului operatoarei operatorilor operatoarelor

Noun

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operator m (plural operatori)

  1. worker, operator

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative operator operatorul operatori operatorii
genitive-dative operator operatorului operatori operatorilor
vocative operatorule operatorilor

Serbo-Croatian

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Pronunciation

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

Noun

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opèrātor m (Cyrillic spelling опѐра̄тор)

  1. (mathematics) operator

Declension

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Declension of operator
singular plural
nominative operator operatori
genitive operatora operatora
dative operatoru operatorima
accusative operator operatore
vocative operatore operatori
locative operatoru operatorima
instrumental operatorom operatorima

Swedish

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Noun

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operator c

  1. (mathematics, computing) an operator

Declension

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Declension of operator
nominative genitive
singular indefinite operator operators
definite operatorn operatorns
plural indefinite operatorer operatorers
definite operatorerna operatorernas
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