lantern wheel

noun

1. a wheel, used like a pinion, consisting essentially of two parallel disks or heads whose peripheries are connected by a series of bars that engage with the teeth of another wheel.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lantern wheel¹

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

There are three railway-tracks; the central one is cogged; the "lantern wheel" of the engine grips its way along these cogs, and pulls the train up the hill or retards its motion on the down trip.

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