A portable device filled with chemicals or powder that shoots out to put out fires.
From Latin 'extinguere' (to put out or quench) combined with the agent suffix '-er.' The word evolved as fire safety equipment became common in the 19th century.
Fire extinguishers use different chemical compounds depending on what type of fire they fight—class A for ordinary fires, B for flammable liquids, and C for electrical—so the device itself had to be versatile enough that its name became a catch-all term.
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