catalytic converter: Meaning and Definition of

catalyt'ic convert'er

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. an antipollution device in an automotive exhaust system that contains a catalyst for chemically converting some pollutants in the exhaust gases, as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen, into harmless compounds.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.