turbine

[ tur-bin, -bahyn ]
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noun
  1. any of various machines having a rotor, usually with vanes or blades, driven by the pressure, momentum, or reactive thrust of a moving fluid, as steam, water, hot gases, or air, either occurring in the form of free jets or as a fluid passing through and entirely filling a housing around the rotor.

Origin of turbine

1
1815–25; <French <Latin turbin-, stem of turbō something that spins, e.g., top, spindle, whirlwind; akin to turbid

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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British Dictionary definitions for turbine

turbine

/ (ˈtɜːbɪn, -baɪn) /


noun
  1. any of various types of machine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a bladed rotor to rotate. The moving fluid may be water, steam, air, or combustion products of a fuel: See also reaction turbine, impulse turbine, gas turbine

Origin of turbine

1
C19: from French, from Latin turbō whirlwind, from turbāre to throw into confusion

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

Scientific definitions for turbine

turbine

[ tûrbĭn, -bīn′ ]


  1. Any of various machines in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid, such as water, steam, or gas, is converted to rotary motion. Turbines are used in boat propulsion systems, hydroelectric power generators, and jet aircraft engines. See also gas turbine.

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