atmospheric engine

American  

noun

1. an early form of single-acting engine in which the power stroke is provided by atmospheric pressure acting upon a piston in an exhausted cylinder.

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Etymology

Origin of atmospheric engine

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atmospheric engine

Watt first used it for his atmospheric engine.

From Lectures on Popular and Scientific Subjects by John Sutherland Sinclair, Earl of Caithness

Properly speaking, Newcomen's engine was not a steam, but an atmospheric engine; for though steam was employed, it formed no essential feature of the contrivance, and might have been replaced by an air-pump.

From Triumphs of Invention and Discovery in Art and Science by Fyfe, J. Hamilton

As we have seen, it was an atmospheric engine, in no sense a steam engine.

From James Watt by Carnegie, Andrew

Question.—What did James Watt do in connection with the atmospheric engine?

From The Stoker's Catechism by Connor, W. J.

Question.—Who invented the atmospheric engine, and how was it constructed?

From The Stoker's Catechism by Connor, W. J.