hydraulic

[ hahy-draw-lik, -drol-ik ]
See synonyms for hydraulic on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. operated by, moved by, or employing water or other liquids in motion.

  2. operated by the pressure created by forcing water, oil, or another liquid through a comparatively narrow pipe or orifice.

  1. of or relating to water or other liquids in motion.

  2. of or relating to hydraulics.

  3. hardening under water, as a cement.

Origin of hydraulic

1
1620–30; <Latin hydraulicus<Greek hydraulikós of a water organ. See hydraulus, -ic

Other words from hydraulic

  • hy·drau·li·cal·ly, adverb
  • non·hy·drau·lic, adjective
  • un·hy·drau·lic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hydraulic in a sentence

  • A large number of these mills are actuated hydraulically or hydro-electrically.

    Mexico | Charles Reginald Enock
  • With the motors retracted it was next to impossible to get to them, past their hydraulically operated booms and actuators.

    Tight Squeeze | Dean Charles Ing
  • It is hydraulically operated and can be moved in any desired direction.

  • The platforms at either end are hydraulically raised or lowered, according to the state of the tide, to the level of the ferry.

    Forty Thousand Miles Over Land and Water | Lady (Ethel Gwendoline [Moffatt]) Vincent
  • There is no doubt that this transmission of power hydraulically has been of the greatest possible use.

British Dictionary definitions for hydraulic

hydraulic

/ (haɪˈdrɒlɪk) /


adjective
  1. operated by pressure transmitted through a pipe by a liquid, such as water or oil

  2. of, concerned with, or employing liquids in motion

  1. of or concerned with hydraulics

  2. hardening under water: hydraulic cement

Origin of hydraulic

1
C17: from Latin hydraulicus of a water organ, from Greek hudraulikos, from hudraulos water organ, from hydro- + aulos pipe, reed instrument

Derived forms of hydraulic

  • hydraulically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hydraulic

hydraulic

[ hī-drôlĭk ]


  1. Operated by the pressure of water or other liquids. Hydraulic systems, such as hydraulic brakes, allow mechanical force to be transferred along curved paths (through pipes or tubes) that would be difficult for solid mechanisms, such as levers or cables, to negotiate efficiently.

  2. Relating to hydraulics.

  1. Capable of hardening under water, as cement.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for hydraulic

hydraulic

A descriptive term for a system operated or moved by a fluid. The hydraulic jack, in which force is transmitted from a handle by means of a heavy oil, is probably the most familiar hydraulic device.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.