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Glite Dictionary
lacrimator

lacrimator

1 9.5
A gas that makes the eyes water and sting
  • noun
  • /ˈlækrɪˌmeɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lacrimógeno
  • The police used a lacrimator to disperse the crowd during the protest.

Examples

  • Many lacrimators are designed for non-lethal crowd control.

  • The police used a lacrimator to disperse the crowd.

  • Exposure to a lacrimator can cause intense eye irritation and temporary blindness.

  • Police used a lacrimator to disperse the protesters outside the building.

  • The military stockpiles various types of lacrimator for riot control purposes.

  • After cutting the onion, she reached for a tissue due to the strong lacrimator it released.

  • The protesters were affected by the lacrimator sprayed by the authorities, causing everyone to tear up.

Synonyms

tear gas
vslacrimator
15 3.7

A gas that makes people's eyes burn and makes them cry, used by police to break up crowds

is used for any form, not only gas, and may be less harsh
lachrymator
vslacrimator
  • UK
9.9

A gas or spray that makes your eyes water and sting, often used by police

is the general term for any such agent rather than a technical label

How Irritating

pepper spray
31 3.5
tear gas
15 3.7
lacrimator
  • Specialized
1 9.5
irritant
15 6.0

Surface Forms

lacrimator singular
lacrimators plural

Morphology

lacrimator = lacrim + ator

Formed from a Latin combining form 'lacrim-' and the agentive suffix '-ator', neither of which is a recognisable standalone English morpheme for average learners, so the meaning is not inferable from common English vocabulary.

Etymology

The word lacrimator comes from the Latin word lacrima, meaning 'tear', and the ending -ator, which means 'that which causes'. So a lacrimator is literally something that makes your eyes water, which is why the word is used for gases that cause tears in crowd control.