launcher

launch +‎ -er

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔːntʃ.ə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑnt͡ʃ.ɚ/, /ˈlɔnt͡ʃ.ɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɔːntʃə(ɹ)

launcher (plural launchers)

1. One who or that which launches. A device that throws something or the person who initiates a launch.

   The catapult made a good launcher for the small projectile.

   They shot down the helicopter with a rocket launcher.

   • 2015, H. Clark Barrett, The Shape of Thought: How Mental Adaptations Evolve, page 110:

     This actually occurs in perception of non-colliding Michotte displays: Even though there is a gap between the launcher stopping and the launchee starting, the launchee's motion appears to have been caused, at a distance, by the approach of the launcher […]

2. (computing) An application that launches another or others, often holding icons or menus for frequently used programs.

• custard launcher
• grenade launcher
• rocket launcher

• relaunch