Synonyms

radial engine

American

noun

Aeronautics.

an internal-combustion engine having the cylinders arranged in radial opposition, found mainly on older aircraft.

radial engine British

noun

an internal-combustion engine having a number of cylinders arranged about a central crankcase

"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 radial engine

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

The great handicap of the radial engine is that its spreading cylinders create wind resistance and so slow an airplane's speed.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tail propellers were reduced to one, a seven-cylinder Warner radial engine was installed, the body was decently covered, slicked with windshield and windows.

From Time Magazine Archive

Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Co. makes V-type motors for its own planes; Fairchild Aviation Corp. is almost ready to market its Caminez radial engine.

From Time Magazine Archive

Its big radial engine is cowled to cut its head resistance to the irreducible minimum.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was a yellow two-seater with a 450-horsepower radial engine, a low wing, and retractable landing gear.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023