Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of coffeepot: A percolator is a device used to brew coffee by repeatedly cycling boiling water through coffee grounds contained in a basket.

Usage

• A percolator is used to make coffee by a specific brewing method where hot water is forced up a central tube and then trickles down over the coffee grounds.
• It is a common household item, though less prevalent since the rise of drip coffee makers and single-serve machines.

Examples

• Noun:
  • My grandmother still uses an old stovetop percolator to make her morning coffee.
  • The percolator bubbled cheerfully on the campfire, filling the air with the smell of fresh coffee.

Advanced Usage

• "To percolate" (verb): The action performed by a percolator. It means for a liquid to filter gradually through a porous surface or substance.
  • The idea began to percolate in his mind over several weeks.
• Figurative Use: The concept of a percolator is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a process where information or an idea spreads or filters through a group.
  • The news percolated through the office by lunchtime.

Variants and Related Words

• Percolate (verb): To cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous substance; to filter. Also used figuratively.
• Percolation (noun): The process of filtering a liquid through a porous material.

Synonyms

• Coffee maker: A general term for any device that brews coffee.
• Brewer: A device for making a beverage like coffee or tea.

Related Phrases

• Electric percolator: A percolator that uses an internal electric heating element instead of being placed on a stove.
• Stovetop percolator: A percolator designed to be heated directly on a stove burner.

Noun

1. a coffeepot in which boiling water ascends through a central tube and filters back down through a basket of ground coffee beans