catalyst
1. (chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected • Syn: accelerator • Ant: anticatalyst • Derivationally related forms: catalyze • Topics: chemistry, chemical science • Hypernyms: activator • Hyponyms: biocatalyst, enzyme, platinum black 2. something that causes an important event to happen - the invasion acted as a catalyst to unite the country • Hypernyms: causal agent, cause, causal agency
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