Definition of: elater

(el′ə·tər) noun
1. Entomol. a A click beetle or elaterid. b A spring or terminal bristlelike abdominal appendage of a springtail or podurid insect.
2. Bot. a In the horsetail family of plants (Equisetaceae), one of the four club-shaped membranous bands attached at a single point on a spore formed by the splitting of the outer coat. b A sterile, elastic, spirally twisted filament for the dispersion of spores, as in liverworts, puffballs, and slime molds. [<NL <Gk. elatēr <elaunein drive]