\E*lat"er\, n.
One who, or that which, elates.

\El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
1. (Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the
   spores, as in some liverworts.
2. (Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family {Elaterid[ae]}, 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}.
3. (Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by {Podura} and related
   insects for leaping. See {Collembola}.

\El"a*ter\, n. (Chem.)
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.