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atmospheric engine

American

noun

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.

Etymology

Origin of atmospheric engine

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Foulis asked what proportion the power indicated on the diagram bore to the power indicated on the brake in the atmospheric engine.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 508, September 26, 1885 by Various

At the second Parisian International Exhibition, 1867, an atmospheric engine, invented by Otto & Langen about this time, was shown.

From Gas and Oil Engines, Simply Explained An Elementary Instruction Book for Amateurs and Engine Attendants by Runciman, Walter C.

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.

Watt first used it for his atmospheric engine.

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023