dashpot

American

[dash-pot] / ˈdæʃˌpɒt /

noun

a device for cushioning, damping, or reversing the motion of a piece of machinery, consisting of a cylinder in which a piston operates to create a pressure or vacuum on an enclosed gas or to force a fluid in or out of the chamber through narrow openings.

dashpot British

/ ˈdæʃˌpɒt /

noun

a device for damping vibrations; the vibrating part is attached to a piston moving in a liquid-filled cylinder

"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

Etymology

Origin of dashpot

First recorded in 1860–65; dash ¹ + pot ¹

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.

A dashpot at the bottom of the valve checks flutter.

From Project Gutenberg

No dashpot is necessary on this valve, the compression of the steam in the chamber W by the fall of the piston being sufficient to avoid shock.

From Project Gutenberg

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