What does dehydrator mean?
A dehydrator is a noun for a device that removes water or moisture from a substance. In everyday use, it usually means an electric food dehydrator: a cabinet or tray-based appliance that circulates gently heated air to dry fruit, vegetables, herbs, or meat for storage. Drying can preserve food while changing its texture and extending its storage life. In technical and industrial contexts, “dehydrator” can also refer to equipment used to remove water from gases, chemicals, or other materials, and the word can occasionally describe a person or other agent that causes dehydration. Compared with the more general “dryer,” a dehydrator specifically emphasizes moisture removal, while “desiccator” usually denotes laboratory equipment that dries substances over a desiccant. Dehydrate and dehydration share the same underlying idea and root, making the noun readily understandable: it names a thing that performs dehydration.
nounA device that removes water or moisture from a substance, especially food, by circulating gently heated air; more generally, equipment used to remove water from another material.
- An appliance or piece of equipment that removes water or moisture from a substance, especially food.
- An industrial, scientific, or chemical device used to remove water from a material.
- A person or other agent that causes dehydration, though this use is uncommon.
"She left the sliced apples in the dehydrator overnight."
"The dehydrator was filled with apple slices, herbs, and mushrooms."
"The factory's gas dehydrator removes water vapour before the gas enters the pipeline."
The standard plural is used for multiple appliances, pieces of equipment, or agents.
"The shop sells electric dehydrators in several sizes."
A dehydrator preserves food by taking away the moisture that helps spoilage microbes thrive.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does dehydrator come from?
Dehydrator was formed in English by adding the suffix -or, which can indicate an agent or instrument, to the verb dehydrate. Dehydrate is based on Latinized Greek dehydos, meaning “dry” or “waterless,” from de- and the Greek hydor, “water.” The resulting noun developed both general and food-processing senses, including that of an appliance for preserving food by removing moisture.
How dehydrator is actually used
The count noun is most familiar in British and American English for a food-preserving appliance. The industrial sense is more technical, while the agentive sense is formal and comparatively rare.
Easily confused with dehydrator
A dryer is a broader term for any appliance used to dry something, whereas a dehydrator specifically removes moisture, commonly from food through gentle, circulated heat.