glow plug

noun

Automotive, Machinery.

1. a device for each cylinder of a diesel engine with a heating element to heat the incoming fuel and air so that combustion will take place more readily when the engine is cold.

glow plug

noun

1. Also called: heater plug. one of usually four plugs fitted to the cylinder block of a diesel engine that warms the engine chamber to facilitate starting in cold weather

Other Word Forms

• glow-plug adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of glow plug¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

The Olds diesel has a block heater and a "prechamber," where the mixture is briefly heated by a glow plug.

From Time Magazine Archive

Finally, it devised a still not entirely satisfactory solution: a platinum glow plug "pilot light" that automatically relights an engine if it goes out.

From Time Magazine Archive