afterburning

[af-ter-bur-ning, ahf-]

noun

Aeronautics. combustion in an afterburner that results from the injection of fuel into the exhaust gases of a jet engine to produce additional thrust with more efficient fuel consumption.
Rocketry. an irregular burning of residual fuel in some rocket motors after the cessation of the main burning.

Origin of afterburning

1885–90; after + burning, translation of German Nachbrennen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for afterburning

afterburning

noun

Also called: reheat a process in which additional fuel is ignited in the exhaust gases of a jet engine to produce additional thrust
irregular burning of fuel in a rocket motor after the main burning has ceased
persistence of combustion in an internal-combustion engine, either in an incorrect part of the cycle or after the ignition has been switched off

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