Stirling engine

noun

1. an external-combustion engine in which heat from outside the cylinders causes air confined in the cylinders to expand and drive the pistons.

Stirling engine

noun

1. an external-combustion engine that uses air or an inert gas as the working fluid operating on a highly efficient thermodynamic cycle (the Stirling cycle )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stirling engine¹

1895–1900; after Robert Stirling (died 1878), Scottish engineer

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stirling engine¹

named after Robert Stirling (1790–1878), Scottish minister who invented it