Bible Dictionaries
Elater

Webster's Dictionary

(1):

(n.) Any beetle of the family Elateridae, 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.

(2):

(n.) The caudal spring used by Podura and related insects for leaping. See Collembola.

(3):

(n.) 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.

(4):

(n.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the spores, as in some liverworts.

(5):

(n.) One who, or that which, elates.

Bibliography Information
Webster, Noah. Entry for 'Elater'. Noah Webster's American Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​web/​e/elater.html. 1828.