donkey engine

British

noun

a small auxiliary engine, such as one used for pumping water into the boilers of a steamship

"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

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.

We baited a big hook, and pulled him in with the donkey engine.

From Project Gutenberg

Start the donkey engine to feed cold water into the boilers. 3d.

From Project Gutenberg

When she finally went down the gangplank the sigh the captain heaved was almost as loud as the exhaust from the donkey engines which were working out the crates of lemons from the hold.

From Project Gutenberg

“Heave a link!” shouts the officer, and Shoo Fly and the donkey engine heaveth.

From Project Gutenberg

But get up steam in the donkey engine, and connect the pipes.”

From Project Gutenberg

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