The term desiccator is used by many people when they actually mean dehumidifier.   The term desiccator is actually more commonly used in the scientific community where it refers to an air tight container that has a special drying agent in the bottom of it to keep the humidity inside the container low.  This is different then what a dehumidifier is doing by actually pulling air into the unit, drying the air and then exhausting it back out into the wet environment, thus drying the air in the room(s) it is located in.

Besides the term desiccator many people also use the term humidifier instead of dehumidifier.  This is incorrect since a humidifier actually puts water into the air while a dehumidifier removes the moisture from the air.  Knowing the differences between a desiccator, humidifier, and dehumidifier can help you when you are searching for a piece of equipment to buy.