Connector

How to spell connector

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce connector

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does connector mean?

1. nounA device or part that joins two things together, especially to allow an electrical, mechanical, or data link.

Connector in a sentence

• The charging cable uses a small magnetic connector at the laptop end.

• The plumber replaced a corroded connector between the two copper pipes.

Where does connector come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the Latin verb connectere, which meant 'to bind or fasten things together'. That verb joined the prefix com-, meaning 'together' (reduced to con- before the letter n), with the root nectere, which literally meant 'to tie, bind, or knot'. The same nectere root gives English the words 'connect', 'annex', and even 'nexus', a point where many threads are tied together. English took 'connect' from Latin in the early 1600s, and the agent noun 'connector', meaning the thing that does the connecting, followed naturally with the familiar -or ending used for tools and devices. The doubled n is the main spelling trap, and it is easy to remember once you know it carries over from con- meeting the n of nectere.

How the word is built

• con- (together)
• nect (root from Latin nectere: to bind or tie)
• -or (agent-noun suffix: thing that does)