1. A device or apparatus used to separate particles of different sizes or densities by washing or flowing liquid through a mixture.
Usage: technical; used in chemistry, geology, and materials science

Examples

• The laboratory technician used an elutriator to separate fine clay particles from coarser sand.
• An elutriator works by passing water upward through a column of mixed particles.
• The elutriator efficiently classified the mineral samples by particle size.
• Geologists often employ an elutriator when analyzing sediment composition.
• The elutriator removed the lighter particles while the heavier ones settled at the bottom.