ignition

American  

[ig-nish-uhn] / ɪgˈnɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the act or fact of igniting; state of being ignited.

2. a means or device for igniting.

3. (in an internal-combustion engine) the process that ignites the fuel in the cylinder.

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ignition British  

/ ɪɡˈnɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of initiating combustion

2. the process of igniting the fuel in an internal-combustion engine

3. the devices used to ignite the fuel in an internal-combustion engine

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Other Word Forms

• reignition noun

Etymology

Origin of ignition

1605–15; Medieval Latin ignītiōn- (stem of ignītiō ) a setting on fire. See ignite, -ion

Example Sentences

“There’s a truck on top of the cellar that we gotta move, but don’t worry. Damnedest thing—it landed right side up, not a scratch on it, keys in the ignition.”

From Literature

The engines enable faster missile launches as they require little preparation before ignition.

From Barron's

Or it could lead to a dry-thunderstorm outbreak, with lightning that could cause multiple wildfire ignitions, as took place in 2020 in Central and Northern California with the remnants of Tropical Storm Fausto.

From Los Angeles Times

Each person had a specific task, from hand-carrying the ignition devices into the EU, to supplying cars.

From BBC

But despite the assemblage of first-rate parts, ignition proves elusive.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blast
• burst
• detonation
• firing
• outbreak
• outburst