stratified charge engine

American

Or stratified-charge engine

noun

an internal-combustion engine in which a small charge of a rich fuel mixture is ignited first and used to improve combustion of a larger charge of a lean fuel mixture.

Etymology

Origin of stratified charge engine

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

I've been driving a German car with the new front-wheel drive for four years, and the stratified charge engine has been available from Japan for some time.

From Time Magazine Archive

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