Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Elater \E*lat"er\, n.
   One who, or that which, elates.

Elater \El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
   1. (Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the
      spores, as in some liverworts.

   2. (Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family {Elaterid[ae]}, having
      the habit, when laid on the back, of giving a sudden
      upward spring, by a quick movement of the articulation
      between the abdomen and thorax; -- called also {click
      beetle}, {spring beetle}, and {snapping beetle}.

   3. (Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by {Podura} and related
      insects for leaping. See {Collembola}.

Elater \El"a*ter\, n. (Chem.)
   The active principle of elaterium, being found in the juice
   of the wild or squirting cucumber ({Ecballium agreste},
   formerly {Motordica Elaterium}) and other related species. It
   is extracted as a bitter, white, crystalline substance, which
   is a violent purgative.

Source : WordNet®

elater
     n : any of various widely distributed beetles [syn: {elaterid
         beetle}, {elaterid}]