Stirling engine

noun

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

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Origin of Stirling engine

1895–1900; after Robert Stirling (died 1878), Scottish engineer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for stirling engine

Stirling engine

noun

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 Origin for Stirling engine

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