stabilizer

[stey-buh-lahy-zer] /ˈsteɪ bəˌlaɪ zər/
noun
1.
a person or thing that stabilizes.
2.
Aeronautics. a device for stabilizing an aircraft, as the fixed, horizontal tail surface on an airplane.
3.
Nautical.
  1. a mechanical device for counteracting the roll of a vessel, consisting of a pair of retractable fins so pivoted as to oppose a downward force with an upward one, and vice versa.
  2. a gyrostabilizer.
4.
any of various substances added to foods, chemical compounds, etc., to prevent deterioration, the breaking down of an emulsion, or the loss of desirable properties.
5.
any compound that, when included with an explosive, decreases the ability of the latter to decompose spontaneously.
6.
a substance, as beeswax or aluminum stearate, added to a fast-drying oil paint to improve the dispersion of pigment.
7.
a comparatively large shock absorber for motor vehicles.
8.
Military.
  1. any of various devices or systems that keep a gun mounted on a moving ship, tank, or plane automatically aimed at its target.
  2. any of various mechanical devices, such as fins, or electronic systems that keep a shell, bomb, rocket, etc., aligned with its target.
9.
Navy. any of various devices or systems used to keep a submarine or a torpedo at the proper depth or in the proper position.
Origin
1905-10; stabilize + -er1
Examples from the web for stabilizer
  • However, bubbles and proteins divided against themselves will not stand, and the foam will collapse without a little stabilizer.
  • To continue he had to fashion a head stabilizer from a mattress and duct tape.
  • It has no known role in normal physiology, but as a drug it has long been appreciated as a mood stabilizer.
  • Update: shelf lining, that waffly stuff, is the perfect stabilizer.
  • Here it acts as a preservative and stabilizer, preventing outside impurities from spoiling the contents.
  • If airlines had to count delays due to missing screws in a stabilizer, for example, their on-times would not look so good.
  • Because of this, antidepressants are only used in people who also take a mood stabilizer.
  • It is also used as a stabilizer in the production of nitrocellulose.
British Dictionary definitions for stabilizer

stabilizer

/ˈsteɪbɪˌlaɪzə/
noun
1.
any device for stabilizing an aircraft See also horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer
2.
a substance added to something to maintain it in a stable or unchanging state, such as an additive to food to preserve its texture during distribution and storage
3.
(nautical)
  1. a system of one or more pairs of fins projecting from the hull of a ship and controllable to counteract roll
  2. See gyrostabilizer
4.
either of a pair of brackets supporting a small wheel that can be fitted to the back wheel of a bicycle to help an inexperienced cyclist to maintain balance
5.
an electronic device for producing a direct current supply of constant voltage
6.
(economics) a measure, such as progressive taxation, interest-rate control, or unemployment benefit, used to restrict swings in prices, employment, production, etc, in a free economy
7.
a person or thing that stabilizes
Word Origin and History for stabilizer
n.

1909 in aeronautical sense, agent noun from stabilize (v.).