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# The Good Oil Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-good-oil-word-of-the-day-788/
- Published: 2026-10-14T17:15:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-14T17:15:29.000Z
- Author: David Theobald
- Tags: General, Word of the Day

The word for today is…

catalyst (noun) -

1: a person or thing that provokes or speeds significant change or action  
2: a substance that enables a chemical reaction to proceed at a usually faster rate or under different conditions (as at a lower temperature) than otherwise possible

Source : [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catalys?ref=goodoil.news)

Etymology : Catalyst is a fairly recent addition to the English language, first appearing at the start of the 20th century with its chemistry meaning. It was formed from the word catalysis, another chemistry term which refers to a modification and especially an increase in the rate of a chemical reaction induced by material unchanged chemically at the end of the reaction. By the 1940s, the figurative sense of catalyst was in use for someone or something that quickly causes change or action.

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