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.
Origin of Stirling engine
1895–1900; after Robert Stirling (died 1878), Scottish engineer
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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
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