rectifier

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun One that rectifies.
• noun Electronics A device, such as a diode, that converts alternating current to direct current.
• noun A worker who blends or dilutes whiskey or other alcoholic beverages.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun In elect, an apparatus for changing an alternating electric current into a direct current directly, that is, without intermediary transformation of energy. The most common forms of rectifier are: The mechanical rectifier, which consists of a synchronous motor (that is, a motor which keeps step with the alternations of the alternating current) driving a rectifying commutator which reverses the direction of successive impulses of current so as to send them in the same direction into the direct-current circuit. The main objection to this form is the destructive sparking of the commutator-brushes when rectifying large amounts of power.
• noun The electrolytic rectifier which is based on the property of aluminium, in some salt or acid solutions, of passing current only when negative: a property due, probably, to the formation of a non-conducting film of oxid or basic salt on the aluminium by the oxygen produced on the aluminium when it is the positive terminal. Such a rectifier usually consists of an aluminium and a carbon or metal plate in a solution of some suitable salt. A combination of this sort passes only one half-wave of alternating current, from the carbon to the aluminium, but partly suppresses the reverse half-wave; and by using two such rectifiers, one half-wave of current is passed over the one, the other over the other rectifier, and then recombined and sent into the direct-current circuit. The disadvantage of the electrolytic rectifier is its low efficiency.
• noun Arc-rectifiers, which are based on the property of arcs to be conducting in one direction, but not in the opposite. In the mercury-arc rectifier, one mercury and two graphite terminals are inclosed in the same glass tube, the two graphite terminals being connected to the terminal of the alternating-current supply, while the direct-current circuit connects between the mercury terminal of the rectifier and a neutral or midway point of the alternating-current circuit, derived from a three-wire transformer or compensator, or by reactances. One impulse of the alternating current then passes from one graphite electrode, the other from the other graphite electrode; but both issue, in the same direction, from the mercury electrode into the direct-current circuit. The mercury-arc rectifier has a very high efficiency, but is so far limited in the amount of current which it can rectify. It is used for charging storage batteries and for arc-lighting.
• noun One who or that which rectifies.
• noun One who reflnes a substance by repeated distillations or by filtering or any other method; specifically, one who rectifies liquors.
• noun In the distillation of alcoholic liquors:
• noun A vessel or receptacle in which a second distillation is carried on, to condense the liquor and increase its alcoholic strength, or to flavor it by exposing the flavoring substance to the vaporized spirit.
• noun A cylindrical vessel continuous with a primary still, in which repeated distillations occur till the alcohol reaches the desired strength. Also called rectifying column, and simply column
• noun An instrument formerly used for indicating the errors of the compass.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun One who, or that which, rectifies.
• noun Specifically: (a) (Naut.) An instrument used for determining and rectifying the variations of the compass on board ship. (b) (Chem.) A rectificator.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Something that rectifies.
• noun A device that converts alternating current into direct current; often a diode.
• noun nautical An instrument used for determining and rectifying the variations of the compass on board ship.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun electrical device that transforms alternating into direct current
• noun a person who corrects or sets right