What does percolator mean?
A percolator is most commonly a pot or appliance used to brew coffee. It works by sending hot water through ground coffee, collecting the brewed liquid below. The term can also be used figuratively for a person, place, or medium through which ideas, information, or cultural influences gradually spread, though this usage is less frequent. In everyday American English, “percolator” often refers specifically to a stovetop coffee pot, while the word can describe other electric or non-electric coffee makers more generally. The word’s history reflects its basic image of liquid passing slowly through a substance, a meaning that also appears in related forms such as percolate and percolation. It is a useful word because it combines a familiar household object with a broader metaphor for gradual diffusion.
A pot or appliance for making coffee by passing hot water through ground coffee.
"He poured the coffee from the percolator into two mugs."
Common in both British and American English; in American usage, it often particularly suggests a stovetop percolator.
A person, place, or medium through which something gradually spreads or is filtered.
"The university became a percolator for new political ideas."
Figurative and less common than the coffee-making sense.
The plural is used when referring to more than one coffee-making device or figurative agents.
"The office has several percolators for different teams."
The word percolator comes from the same root as percolate: both evoke water slowly passing through a substance to extract what it holds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does percolator come from?
The word comes through Latin, from percolare, meaning “to let through, filter, or strain,” formed from per- (“through”) and colare (“to strain”). It entered English in the 19th century, initially referring to a device for brewing coffee and later to a filter or strainer. Its modern figurative sense developed from the idea of something passing through a medium and becoming widely diffused.
Related word forms
How percolator is actually used
The word is most commonly used for a coffee-making device. Its figurative use is less frequent and suggests a gradual spreading or filtering process rather than a rapid transmission.
Easily confused with percolator
A percolator is a noun naming a coffee-making device, while percolate is a verb describing the process of filtering liquid through coffee grounds or other material.