WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
re•cu•per•a•tor
(ri ko̅o̅′pə rā′tər, -kyo̅o̅′-),USA pronunciation n.
- a person or thing that recuperates.
- Energy, Metallurgy(in a recuperative furnace) a system of thin-walled ducts through which incoming air and exhausted gases pass separately so that the air is heated by the gases.
- Latin recuperātor regainer, equivalent. to recuperā(re) to recover (see recuperate) + -tor -tor
- 1700–10