stuffing box

noun Machinery.

a device for preventing leakage of gases or liquids along a moving rod or shaft at the point at which it leaves a cylinder, tank, ship hull, etc.

Origin of stuffing box

First recorded in 1790–1800

Also called gland.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stuffing box

Historical Examples of stuffing box

If the stuffing-box is all right, examine the supply suction hose.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them
James H. Stephenson
The stuffing-box should be just as loose as it can be and not allow leakage of steam.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them
James H. Stephenson
Never pack the stuffing-box too tight, or you may flute the rod and spoil it.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them
James H. Stephenson
Fig. 51 shows a gland and stuffing-box for a horizontal rod.
An Introduction to Machine Drawing and Design
David Allan Low
Leakage at the neck of the plug is prevented by a gland and stuffing-box.
An Introduction to Machine Drawing and Design
David Allan Low

British Dictionary definitions for stuffing box

stuffing box

noun

a small chamber in which an annular packing is compressed around a reciprocating or rotating rod or shaft to form a sealAlso called: packing box

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