Stirling engine
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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
Words nearby Stirling engine
stir-crazy, stir-fried, stir-fry, stirk, Stirling, Stirling engine, Stirling's formula, Stirlingshire, stirp, stirpiculture, stirps
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Stirling engine
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
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