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hydraulic ram

American  

noun

  1. a device by which the energy of descending water is utilized to raise a part of the water to a height greater than that of the source.


hydraulic ram British  

noun

  1. any large device involving the displacement of a piston or plunger driven by fluid pressure

  2. a form of water pump utilizing the kinetic energy of running water to provide static pressure to raise water to a reservoir higher than the source

"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 hydraulic ram

First recorded in 1800–10

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.

See Examples For:

“Approaching the northeast coast of Flinders Island in eastern Bass Strait she suffered damage to the hydraulic ram that adjusts the angle of the canting or swinging keel beneath the hull,” the spokesman said.

From Washington Times Dec. 27, 2016

In weeks to come, a hydraulic ram will rack the tail to one side.

From BusinessWeek Feb. 13, 2014

A row of six buttons, three each side of the steering-wheel well, control the main sheet via a substantial hydraulic ram, tucked under the side deck on the port side of the cockpit.

From Time Magazine Archive

A hydraulic ram manages the mainsheet via push buttons on the cockpit sole near the steering pedestal.

From Time Magazine Archive

The important point is that the perpendicular movement, being under the coercion of the vertical guides provided in the hand machines, or the hydraulic ram in fig.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6 "Foraminifera" to "Fox, Edward" by Various

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