trunk engine
Americannoun
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an engine having a trunk piston or pistons.
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a double-acting steam engine having a connecting rod passing through a trunk to the piston.
Etymology
Origin of trunk engine
First recorded in 1860–65
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.
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.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
