piston rod

American  

noun

1. a rod communicating the rectilinear motion of a piston to the small end of a connecting rod or elsewhere.

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piston rod British  

noun

1. the rod that connects the piston of a reciprocating steam engine to the crosshead

2. a less common name for a connecting rod

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Etymology

Origin of piston rod

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

piston rod

“The right hand whipping like a piston rod which has broken through the crankcase, or like a baseball bat demolishing a pumpkin,” Norman Mailer, a ringside witness, recalled in an essay.

From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2013

The loud noise that Abbey and I had heard was the outboard engine throwing a piston rod, though we didn’t know that at the time.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Draw this, and also a view looking on the nut in the direction of the axis of the piston rod.

From An Introduction to Machine Drawing and Design by Low, David Allan

The indicator piston rod actuates an arm or line on the end of which is a pencil, which, by means of a parallel motion, is caused to move in a straight line.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua

As the piston rod is shortened there is less wear at the extreme end of the cylinder bore farthest from the crank, and the same remark applies to the guide bars.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua