internal-combustion engine

noun

1. an engine of one or more working cylinders in which the process of combustion takes place within the cylinders.

internal-combustion engine

noun

1. a heat engine in which heat is supplied by burning the fuel in the working fluid (usually air)

internal-combustion engine

1. An engine whose fuel is burned inside the engine itself rather than in an outside furnace or burner. Gasoline and diesel engines are internal-combustion engines, as are gas turbine engines such as turbojets.

2. Compare steam engine

internal-combustion engine

1. Any engine powered by burning fuel inside it (for example, a standard automobile engine). Internal-combustion engines normally burn fossil fuels and therefore are a major source of air pollution. (See smog.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of internal-combustion engine¹

First recorded in 1880–85