carrier

Etymology

carry +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æriə(r)

Noun

carrier (plural carriers)

1. A person or object that carries someone or something else.

   aircraft carrier

   armored personnel carrier

   • Francis Bacon

     The air which is but […] a carrier of the sounds.

2. A carrier pigeon, a newspaperese term (misnomer) for a homing pigeon, racing pigeon, racing homer, homer.
3. An Old English carrier pigeon or Old English carrier (the "King of the Doos").
4. A person or company in the business of shipping freight.
   • Jonathan Swift

     The roads are crowded with carriers, laden with rich manufactures.

5. A signal such as radio, sound, or light that is modulated to transmit information.
6. A mobile network operator; wireless carrier.
7. A certified airline.
   • 2013 Dec. 22, Jad Mouawad and Martha C. White, "," New York Times (retrieved 23 December 2013):

     Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, is installing seats with less cushion and thinner materials — a svelte model known in the business as “slim-line.”

8. (engineering) That which drives or carries.
   1. A piece which communicates to an object in a lathe the motion of the faceplate; a lathe dog.
   2. A spool holder or bobbin holder in a braiding machine.
   3. A movable piece in magazine guns which transfers the cartridge to a position from which it can be thrust into the barrel.
9. (chemistry) A catalyst or other intermediary in a chemical reaction.
10. (genetics, pathology) A person or organism that has inherited a genetic trait, mutation or infectious disease, but displays no symptoms.

References