Advertisement
Advertisement
View synonyms for piston
piston
1[ pis-tuhn ]
noun
- a disk or cylindrical part tightly fitting and moving within a cylinder, either to compress or move a fluid collected in the cylinder, as air or water, or to transform energy imparted by a fluid entering or expanding inside the cylinder, as compressed air, explosive gases, or steam, into a rectilinear motion usually transformed into rotary motion by means of a connecting rod.
- a pumplike valve used to change the pitch in a cornet or the like.
Piston
2[ pis-tuhn ]
noun
- Walter, 1894–1976, U.S. composer.
piston
/ ˈpɪstən /
noun
- a disc or cylindrical part that slides to and fro in a hollow cylinder. In an internal-combustion engine it is forced to move by the expanding gases in the cylinder head and is attached by a pivoted connecting rod to a crankshaft or flywheel, thus converting reciprocating motion into rotation
piston
/ pĭs′tən /
- A solid cylinder or disk that fits snugly into a hollow cylinder and moves back and forth under the pressure of a fluid (typically a hot gas formed by combustion, as in many engines), or moves or compresses a fluid, as in a pump or compressor.
Discover More
Other Words From
- piston·like adjective
- sub·piston noun
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of piston1
First recorded in 1695–1705; from French, from Italian pistone “piston,” a learned alteration of pestone “large pestle,” equivalent to pest(are) “to pound” (variant of Medieval Latin pistare, derivative of Latin pīstus, past participle of pīnsere “to pound, crush”) + -one augmentative suffix
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of piston1
C18: via French from Old Italian pistone, from pistare to pound, grind, from Latin pinsere to crush, beat
Discover More
Example Sentences
It is a very simple plan, and will be perfectly tight; it is by restoring an equilibrium on both sides of the piston.
From Project Gutenberg
The water-piston is 10 inches in diameter, drawing and forcing 35 feet perpendicular, equal beam.
From Project Gutenberg
When she had finished her up-stroke the steam passed from under the pole on to the top of the piston in the cylinder.
From Project Gutenberg
Then he came down from London and found that the piston of his engine was half an inch smaller in diameter than the cylinder.
From Project Gutenberg
The steam in ordinary working was shut off when the piston had moved from an eighth to a quarter of its stroke.
From Project Gutenberg
Advertisement
Discover More
Related Words
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse