trunk engine

American  

noun

1. an engine having a trunk piston or pistons.

2. a double-acting steam engine having a connecting rod passing through a trunk to the piston.

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Etymology

Origin of trunk engine

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

He had invented the trunk engine, and Murdoch had devised the oscillating engine and the ordinary slide-valve, and had made a model locomotive-engine, while Hornblower had introduced the compound engine.

From A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine by Thurston, Robert H.

Q.--What is the kind of direct acting screw engine employed by Messrs. Penn. A.--It is a horizontal trunk engine.

From A Catechism of the Steam Engine by Bourne, John, C.E.

Q.--Is the trunk engine inferior to the oscillating?

From A Catechism of the Steam Engine by Bourne, John, C.E.