turbo

¹ American  

[tur-boh] / ˈtɜr boʊ /

noun

plural

turbos

1. turbine.

2. Informal. turbocharger.

3. an automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine equipped with a turbocharger.

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turbo- ² American  

1. a combining form representing turbine in compound words.

   turbojet.

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turbo- British  

combining form

1. of, relating to, or driven by a turbine

   turbofan

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Etymology

Origin of turbo¹

1655–65, in sense “tornado”; 1900–05 turbo for def. 1; in part < Latin turbō top, whirlwind, in part by shortening of turbocharged ( def. ) or turbocharger

Origin of turbo-²

turb(ine) + -o-

Example Sentences

“I’ve already sketched out some ideas. Which of these boats do you see yourselves in? Should I build us the Yellow Bananarama, Gorgeous Gertrude, or Turbo Turtle? I’m proud of Turbo Turtle myself, but I’m open to suggestions.”

From Literature

A friend’s parent calls him “Turbo,” and he was doing all kinds of turbo things when the cameras caught him in the act.

From Los Angeles Times

Starts are much more difficult this year because it is much harder to get the turbo spinning at the optimum speed.

From BBC

So the turbo has to be spooled up manually, by running the engine against the MGU-K on the grid - hence the extra time that has been added before the light process to allow the drivers to rev up their engines.

From BBC

Ferrari are believed to have a smaller turbo than the other manufacturers.

From BBC

Related Words

• airplane
• plane