crankshaft

[ krangk-shaft, -shahft ]

/ ˈkræŋkˌʃæft, -ˌʃɑft /

noun Machinery.

a shaft having one or more cranks, usually formed as integral parts.

Nearby words

crankcase, crankle, crankly, cranko, crankpin, crankshaft, cranky, cranmer, cranmer, thomas, crannequin, crannied

Origin of crankshaft

First recorded in 1850–55; crank¹ + shaft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crankshaft

The camshaft and magneto were driven by the crankshaft through a three-member train of spur gears (see Figures 9, 10 and 11).
The Wright Brothers' Engines and Their Design|Leonard S. Hobbs.
A heavier flywheel, with a governor resting in the upper recess, was pressed onto the crankshaft.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240|Anonymous
A slotted link is used with a crankshaft for regulating the length of stroke.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898|Various
The cylinders were cast in pairs and bolted to a two-piece aluminum case split at the line of the crankshaft.
The Wright Brothers' Engines and Their Design|Leonard S. Hobbs.

After keying the flywheel to the lower end of the crankshaft, Charles and Frank decided to make an attempt to run the engine.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for crankshaft

crankshaft

/ (ˈkræŋkˌʃɑːft) /

noun

a shaft having one or more cranks, esp the main shaft of an internal-combustion engine to which the connecting rods are attached

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